Bringing Back Sligo

Author Archives: Lauren Tepaske

• The ICEE Machine Acquisition Story

  Posted at 11:12 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on March 8, 2019

  Since work is progressing on the house but nothing really exciting is going on I thought I would write about the ICEE Machine acquisition of 2017 as alluded to in my last post.  I’ve known Marcus for 13 years and sometimes when I write about him I forget that many people haven’t known him as long and haven’t been privy to his shenanigans.  So, to sum up Marcus:  If it’s free, not matter what “it” is, Marcus is going to take it.  Anything more than free and you (as in I) will hear some grief.

  So, on to the ICEE Machine.  In Williamsburg there was a convenience store at the front of the neighborhood which went by the name of “Kwik Out.”  There were many times we would ride bikes up to the store and the girls would go in with their little wallets and then walk out with a lollipop that the man gave them for free I think mostly to keep the line moving because they weren’t very good at counting out their money and also because they’re cute, little blondies.  I would usually go back in to make sure it was OK that they had a free lollipop and something wasn’t lost in translation between two little girls who barely knew their left from their right and an elderly, Middle Eastern man.

  Anyway, this all to say that at some point Marcus struck up a rapport with the Kwik Out guys and one day he noticed an ICEE Machine sitting outside of the store, near the dumpster.  For a week it sat out there and, I swear to God, I didn’t even have to be in the car to know Marcus was eye balling it every time he came in and out of the neighborhood.  Finally, one day, he said “I wonder what they’re planning on doing with that ICEE Machine?”  “It doesn’t really matter, does it,” I replied, “because no matter what it’s their problem.”  He feigned indignation as if he was not the one who had already brought home a broken arcade game, numerous TVs, and a couple of jet skis.  (In fairness, I should add that many of the broken things he has brought home have been fixed but at that particular time in our lives we were still in the process of renovating our Williamsburg home which left very little time for tinkering)

  After what I believed to be a hard”no” (although I’m now realizing my “hard no” needs a little more work because we now own a 130 year old home) I thought the subject had been dropped.  So, about a week goes by and I’ve been out of the house for an hour when I get a text message from Marcus.  I look down and I see a picture of an ICEE Machine sitting in our driveway with the words “How much do you love me” and an obnoxious amount of smiley emojis.  “What. The. Fuck?” I say.  I text it, too, and not the cute “WTF?”  It was the full text.

  Needless to say, I was not amused.  Granted, he was able to haggle a half-broken ICEE Machine for free but what in the actual hell were we going to do with it?!  Obviously, and I say this as I roll my eyes, most everyone else thought it was great which kind of fits the theme for just about everything Marcus does but which brings me great consternation.  “Oh, you got a broken ICEE Machine?!  It’s gonna be great!”  “You found a broken, old-school, Ivan Stewart Off Road arcade game?!  It’s gonna be great!”  “You bought a 130 year old, derelict home?!  It’s gonna be great!”

  So, super long story short, for nearly one year, the ICEE Machine sat in the garage, moving from one corner to the other, still partially filled with ICEE liquid and smelling of a Kwik Out (which one might be wondering how the smell of grease can permeate metal and I’m here to tell you it can).  Finally, as it became clear that we were moving and the ICEE Machine could not move with us, Marcus put it on Craigslist and someone, probably some other husband with an equally weary wife, picked it up and is hopefully making better use of it than we ever did.

  

  ICEE Machine in our driveway.

   

   

   

  Posted in Life | 2 Comments

• Furniture

  Posted at 10:30 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on March 1, 2019

  A few facts about us:  Marcus is a penny pincher (which is strange given he bought a giant house needing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of renovations but I’m trying hard not to beat that dead horse anymore).  I, on the other hand, like pretty things (as I’m typing this I’m watching a documentary about Tiffany & Co and this is going to take a lot longer to write than I anticipated…).  I’m going to assume most couples have the same dynamic though sometimes Marcus can take things a little further than most (does the ICEE Machine acquisition of 2017 ring a bell?  No?  That will have to be a post for another time).

  This is all to set-up the story which is a recent conversation we had about furnishing the house.  First of all, I would guesstimate that about 75% of our furnishings are second-hand, either handed down or purchased through Craigslist, yard sales, and consignment stores.  I’m not knocking it, I’m just stating the facts here.  And while I have often dreamt of a house filled with Pottery Barn I have come to accept that some things will just never happen.

  I feel, though, as if I have found a common ground for my love of pretty things and Marcus’s love for savings and that’s at one of my most favorite stores in Fredericksburg by the name of Seven Nine Designs.  They have some of the most beautiful and unique pieces that have been restored by folks who have way more business restoring furniture than I do (believe me, I’ve tried and it ain’t pretty).  The other thing I love about Seven Nine Designs is that the prices are reasonable, not Pottery Barn prices.

  Anyway, it was on a rainy day of Facebook browsing when I saw their latest offerings and the most amazing hall tree that I had ever seen (which is saying a lot).  Marcus has a weird hall tree fetish and I’m very well aware that he would love to put one in the hall of Sligo.  Honestly, I can take or leave a hall tree but I saw the one for sale at Seven Nine Designs and immediately had to share it with Marcus.  As much as he hates to spend money he would have to admit that this piece was perfect for Sligo and maybe, just maybe, he would tell me to go ahead and get it.

  That’s not quite the reaction I got.  Instead I received an email response about waiting until we have somewhere to actually put the hall tree and that we need to “…ensure we appropriately curate house furnishings…”  I shit you not.  This coming from the master of Craigslist.  I wrote him back, wondering if someone had just taught him the word “curate” and if they challenged him to use it in a sentence.  When the answer was “no” I then wondered if he considered purchasing someone’s used furniture as “curating” because the word, to me, implies actually spending money not just looking for the cheapest thing that will do.  He laughed at that and I’m still waiting for an honest answer on how he plans to furnish Sligo.

  Posted in Life, Main House | 1 Comment

• The Mystery of the Caged Skeleton

  Posted at 10:20 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on February 21, 2019

  If you are an avid reader of this blog (Hi, Mom!) then you may remember a little tidbit about the petrified remains of a soldier being found in a cage on the grounds of Sligo.  The quote I used was from the 1937 Works Progress Administration (WPA) of Virginia Historical Inventory.  Obviously, 1937 was quite a few years after the Civil War and over 150 years after the Revolutionary War.  So, really, the information given had to be taken with a grain of salt if the person was indeed a soldier.

  A very kind reader (surprisingly not my mom because I could have sworn she was the only person tuning in) sent me a list of articles pertaining to Sligo which sent me back to the Virginiana Room at the local library.  I received a fantastic tutorial on how to use the microfilm machine and a whole new world opened up.  As I was searching for articles I had a great time scanning what was news for the late 1800s.  My personal favorite was what appeared to be an opinion piece lamenting the fact that women wanted to be more like men and, if that’s the case, then could they please give up all of their fancy hats with feathers because the bird population is suffering?!

  Anyway, that’s not why we’re here.  We want gore!  Not “birds being killed to make elegant hats” gore but “men being left in metal cages” gore!  So, as it turns out, in 1899 there was indeed the remains of a man found in a metal cage though not on the grounds of Sligo.  Whew!  I mean, I am sorry that a person died and was put in a metal cage but at least it wasn’t at Sligo.

  The part of the story that is really disturbing is the cage was in the shape of a human body and most likely the person in it was deemed a “lunatic.”  I question who it was that deemed the poor soul a lunatic and I question the tactics used for treatment.  Thank God, mental health wellness has come such a long way in the last 130 years because just a few short months ago someone might have been shoving me into a metal cage, citing lunacy.

  Below is the article which gives more information about the finding of the body and that a first body had been similarly found in King George (neighboring county) a few years prior.

  

  Article retrieved from the Fredericksburg Daily Star, April 14 1899.

   

  Posted in Grounds, Haunted, History | 2 Comments

• A First Person Look Inside the House

  Posted at 2:06 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on February 20, 2019

  For the third time this winter it has snowed.  For the third time this winter it has snowed and the girls are out of school.  For the third time this winter it has snowed and the girls are out of school and Marcus is on travel.  It’s no wonder I woke-up with a headache.  It was as if my body was preparing for the day.  But, with the snow, comes a day full of nothing and gives me the chance to write.

  A few months back, quite a few months back actually, a friend took some really neat videos of Sligo using his drone.  I have been meaning to cut down the videos and possibly add music to them but it turns out my skills are strictly limited to cutting.  I think I might have learned how to add music in PowerPoint but I’m not here to give a presentation on the health benefits of not purchasing a 130 year old home so we’ll just have to do without.

  Now, the first video is shot from the ground floor up to the second floor and is pretty straightforward.  The second video is my personal favorite because if you can pretend like that’s you drunkenly stumbling from room to room you get a real sense of the layout of the house.  That is until the very end when “you” crash into the door jamb and collapse on the floor (inches away from the kitchen which is where you were probably trying to get to in order to get some coconut water to chase away that headache and induce vomiting because that stuff is nasty).

  (Thank you to Carl Lynn for bringing over his drone and helping capture Sligo in the state in which we acquired her.)

  Posted in Life, Main House, Video | 0 Comments

• Sligo Build Date

  Posted at 9:37 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on February 13, 2019

  As I sit here typing our youngest is in our bedroom, refusing to go to bed. In an effort not to throttle her I’m doing my best to ignore her presence and type a new post.  She is what doctor’s have referred to as “spirited.”  If any of you reading this are parents and are currently parenting or have parented one of these “spirited” children then I raise my glass to you because that is the shit that makes a person drink.

  Anyway, I got off track there.  I just needed you to know the frame of mind I’m in and I apologize for any potential profanity (the above “s” word included) or threats of violence.

  Now, how do I segue nicely into this relatively exciting development in the quest to discover the age of the house.  I guess that was it…

  Our Dovetail consultant made a really neat find about a week ago when she came across two newspaper articles detailing the fire that destroyed the original house at Sligo and the construction that followed.  Both articles were published in 1888 which confirms that the first house burnt down in 1888 and the second house began construction the same year.  The articles are below:

  

  Article retrieved online. Free Lance, 21 August 1888

  

  Article retrieved online. Fredericksburg Star, 12 September 1888

   

  How neat is this?!  First of all, it corroborates what the Ferneyhough descendants told me which is the first house burnt down in 1888 and the second house was built the same year.  It does stand to reason that the second house was not complete until the following year giving it a completion date of 1889.  Also, the fire broke out three times?  How could there have been anything left?  Second of all, there is an “ancient” brick somewhere?!  I have yet to lay eyes on said brick and honestly, there’s kind of a A LOT of brick so it’s going to be like searching for a needle in a haystack but it’s worth a shot.  Finally, we have a potential source of the name “Sligo” and that is Gen. Posey.  You probably don’t remember but I mentioned him in my very detailed and very accurate timeline of past Sligo owners.  He didn’t come across in any of my reading as someone important to the property but it may be worth another look into who he was.

  That’s all I have for now.  Miraculously, in the time it took me to write this the youngest is in her own bed and happily alive (though that’s solely because her father loves her more than I do at the moment).

   

   

  Posted in History, Main House | 6 Comments

• The Paint!

  Posted at 10:48 am by Lauren Tepaske, on February 10, 2019

  I hope everyone is having a nice weekend.  Here in Virginia we have started what we refer to as “Second Winter.”  This usually comes after “Fake Spring” which we experienced last week with temperatures in the upper 60s.  It was a glorious few days that makes it all the more sadder that it is in the upper 30s now.

  Anyway, I didn’t come here to talk weather.  I was just sitting here recuperating from a day spent at the Kid’s Expo with our girls (which is akin to recuperating from a night out on the town only worse as I am an introvert and to spend so much time surrounded by so many people is an absolute drain on the very fiber of my being but I had promised my girlfriend I would go with her and her girls so when we got there and saw the chaos the two of us hid underneath the Bonefish Grill table, which was handing out “Bang Bang Shrimp” samples, and let the children run amok…how’s that for a sentence?) and thought I might update the readers on the paint choice we had made.  The painters were excited about the weather because, even though it is cold, it isn’t raining and they wanted to paint a particular portion of the house before the new roof went on the porch so, it was time to make our final decision.

  We decided on Benjamin Moore Wetherburn’s Blue which is the darker shade of blue out of the two we were contemplating.  It isn’t a traditional Victorian color, which would have been more earthy tones such as reds and greens, but it will be beautiful with the Benjamin Moore Capitol White trim and the Englert Mansard Brown metal roof and gutters.  I only call out the make of the colors in case you are so curious you feel the need to Google them to see exactly what I am talking about.

  So, without further ado, I give you a first glimpse at the new Sligo!

  

  I really like this picture as you can see the contrast between the old paint, the primer, and the new paint.

   

  Posted in Life, Main House | 2 Comments

• Visit

  Posted at 8:58 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on February 7, 2019

  Visit our Facebook page or our Instagram to see which two colors we are leaning towards for the siding of Sligo.

  Posted in Main House | 0 Comments

• The French Doors are Nevermore

  Posted at 9:48 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on February 5, 2019

  I know, I know.  You all (y’all where I’m from but I’ll try and make my English teachers proud) have been waiting with baited breath to hear about the architectural change we have been planning.  I would like for you to keep your expectations low, something I have come to master over my adult life, and know that I’m making a big deal out of nothing.

  There are a pair of French doors off the back parlor room of the house.  They’re narrow and have a door jamb in between each door making them awkward and pointless.  Not to mention they aren’t original to the house as indicated by the framing uncovered when Habalis removed the siding.

  So, we have decided to take the French doors out and replace them with what would have been there originally, floor to almost ceiling windows that match the windows in the front parlor.  We had to make sure that we were correct in assuming there were windows before there were French doors in order to keep the Department of Historic Resources happy and that’s OK.  In the end it will look so much nicer and more authentic.

  

  The French doors at the back of the house.  They are obviously not original as the framing above them indicates where windows once were. (Picture credit to Habalis)

  

  The French doors will be removed and returned to their original state which will mirror the two large windows to the left of the front door. (Picture retrieved from MLS listing 2 August 2018)

   

  Posted in Contractors, Main House | 0 Comments

• Trials and Tribulations

  Posted at 9:21 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on January 28, 2019

  It has been a long time since I wrote.  I’ve been in a bad place recently, feeling unhappy in just about every aspect of my life and it’s hard not to place the blame on others (*ahem* I think we all know who I’m talking about here).  Slowly, my mental state has started shaping-up and I’m starting to feel more like myself.

  At the end of this woe is me cycle I did rebel a bit and cut about 5 inches off my hair but it was either that or get a face tattoo so I went with the one that might help me better secure a job in the future.  It was a move meant to make me feel better about myself and guess what?  It worked.

  Through the last few months we have had so many friends and family and even folks in passing conversation encouraging the endeavor we have taken on with Sligo but guys, this is hard.  This project has brought with it a level of stress and friction that Marcus and I have never experienced before.  I mean, that might not be necessarily true.  I am sure we went through some major stages of stress after the birth of each of the girls.  I know Marcus was stressed to the point he would sleep-walk and looking back I definitely went through post-partum depression.  But, here we are, nearly eight years later and we’re thriving and still married.  Our girls are thriving (though mommy did fall asleep and was five minutes late picking them up from school the other day so there is room for improvement) and even though they’ve probably felt like their lives are wholly unfair at times they really do love us.

  Maybe that is where the lesson to all of this lies.  Despite the trials we have faced over the years we have come through in the end.  We made it through the early stages of marriage.  We made it through the early stages of parenthood.  We made it through the early stages of puppyhood (still kind of going through that actually).  It only stands to reason that we’ll make it through this project as well.  And, on the bright side, Marcus hasn’t started sleep walking.  Yet.

  Posted in Life | 2 Comments

• The Servant’s Stairs

  Posted at 2:06 pm by Lauren Tepaske, on January 13, 2019

  When we met at Sligo with Dovetail Cultural Group a few weeks ago it was like a light bulb went off with one of the more confusing aspects of the house.  I’ll try and describe it from the basement up to the 2nd floor of the house.

  In the basement there are obvious remains of an old stairwell.  Just above that is currently a very long and narrow half bathroom.  And, just above that, is a small room just off the master bedroom that doesn’t seem to have much purpose (it was really the most confounding of spaces).  However, it was our tour with Dovetail that helped enlighten us and it turns out all three spaces would have been the servant’s stairs, just on the other side of the main stairs.  The picture that I received of Sligo in her original state shows a door off the front porch which would also lead one to believe that this would have been the servant’s stairs.  At some point in the last 120 years that was changed to incorporate a life without servants (I’m guessing…although can I have servants?  Or at least a nanny?  Maybe a maid?  Fine, just a personal shopper.  I don’t ask for much).

  Our plans for the basement space will probably be a full bath in order to incorporate apartment living on that level.  On the 1st floor that space will remain a 1/2 bath but will also include a washer and dryer.  On the 2nd floor we plan on adding a wall, another doorway and turning that basically unusable space into a master bathroom.  It all makes sense in my head so I apologize if it reads really crazy.

  I’m including pictures to try and give an idea of what I am talking about but keep in mind it’s dark in the house because many, if not all, of the windows are boarded up.  Also, enjoy a cameo from Twila & Co.!

  

  To the left, and over Johnna’s head, you can see the remnants of the basement stairs.

  

  On the 1st floor and just above the aforementioned basement area is currently where there is a half bath.  Straightaway is where the door off the front porch would have been.  It is now a transom window that is just out of the picture. (picture taken from the Zillow listing, 2 August 2018)

  

  The 2nd story portion is harder to photograph.  To the right of the picture you see a door leading to the master bedroom into what is the small room. (picture taken from the Zillow listing, 2 August 2018)

  

  Looking into the small room off the master bedroom you see a closet and to the right of the picture is the doorway leading to the actual bedroom itself.

   

  Posted in Basement, History, Main House | 0 Comments

• Recent Posts

  • Preoccupied December 20, 2021
  • The “Haunting” of Sligo August 4, 2021
  • Rehabilitation Tax Credits April 27, 2021
  • Put Me in Blogger Jail April 6, 2021
  • Virginia Historic Registry and the National Landmark Registry August 6, 2020
  • My Good Boy, Axel July 14, 2020

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