The exterior work is really moving along and one of the biggest changes has been with the wraparound porch. The columns have been repaired, the banisters have been leveled, and everything is getting a fresh coat of paint. I have learned that tradition dictates for the the porch floor to be painted grey and the porch ceiling painted blue. And it is the blue ceiling that I am here to write about because I learned a little something Southern that I had never known before (yes, I’m a Virginia girl don’t judge, there are just a few too many Southern traditions and I can’t keep up with all of them…plus this one originates just a little farther south).
The ceiling of our porch has been painted Benjamin Moore’s Harbor Haze which is a beautiful shade of pale blue that is so pale it almost looks as if the blue of the siding is reflecting onto the ceiling. I have tried to capture it in a photo but it is so hard to do it justice with a cell phone (I’ll still share it but wanted to make sure you all understand I am not a photographer). Take my word for it, it’s beautiful but so understated that when you finally do notice it, you point it out to everyone walking by even though they know fully well that the porch ceiling is blue because they were there when it was painted in the first place.
So, now, on to the “why” the porch ceiling is painted blue. Some of you may know this answer already so bear with me because I find it fascinating and I think some of our relatives in the North and Midwest will think so as well. There are actually a few reasons it is said porch ceilings are painted blue. One is that it keeps the bugs away because they think it is the sky. That’s cool but kind of boring and I have yet to discover if that’s true or not.
The second reason porch ceilings are painted blue comes from the Gullah-Geechee people in the Lowcountry of the South. The Gullah would paint the ceilings of their quarters blue (along with doors, windows, and shutters) in order to ward off ghosts. The Gullah believed that the blue would confuse the ghosts into thinking it was water which they could not pass through. The word “ghost” in the Gullah language is “haint” which is where the term “haint blue” comes from. Eventually, white Southerners adopted the tradition and while it has since lost much of it’s spiritual significance the influence is still there.
Oh gosh, now that I see this on a computer screen it’s hardly clear at all that the ceiling is blue. If you look closely, you can see the blue over-spray on the white trim…that may help. Otherwise, you’ll just have to stop by and take a look for yourself.
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.
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.)
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).
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.
Visit our Facebook page or our Instagram to see which two colors we are leaning towards for the siding of Sligo.
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)
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.
27 December 2018: Exciting Update! Scroll to the bottom…
We are starting to make big decisions regarding Sligo and surprisingly murder isn’t one of them. We have *drumroll please*…chosen the roof color! The current roof is silver metal and we have decided to replace it with a dark bronze metal. I took a picture of the roof sample but the color doesn’t really come through so just take my word for it: It’s dark. It’s bronze. And it’s metal.
We have also made the decision to convert one of the small additions in the back of the house to it’s original state of a screened-in porch. It currently seems to be an office space of sorts but from the beginning I never felt like that’s what it was. It kind of felt like a room with walls that had been stapled up. So, when we realized it had once been a screened-in porch (which is something we wanted anyway) we decided to take it back to such. On either side of the screened-in porch will be open porches which will connect with a wrap-around. Does that make sense? I think it will also be more true to the original home which is something we are striving for.
The space I am referring to is the small addition to the right of the picture.
The door on the left leads to the kitchen. We had planned for a porch off of the kitchen with hopes of a screened-in porch.
The two French doors to the right lead to what I will refer to as the family room. We also plan to have a porch off this portion of the house and, I could be wrong because sometimes I don’t always understand what Marcus’s vision is, both the porch off the kitchen and the porch off the family room will connect.
A column remains from the original porch. I had never noticed it before. You can see it in the picture above, in the corner of the addition and house.
We met with Dovetail Cultural Group and Habalis to discuss some of the changes we plan to make and ensure that they would be allowable for tax credits and the National Historic Registry. One of the more exciting finds just happened to be with the aforementioned porch.
Everyone agreed that at one point in time this portion of the house was a porch. It was the Habalis representative who speculated that there was a door still in the wall…and sure enough! The door was still there, behind the drywall. So, was this area a portico? A sort of second entrance? I think it was more than just a screened-in porch. Were sleeping porches a thing in Virginia? I have no clue how this will work into our idea for a screened-in porch but I have faith in Habalis and that they know what they’re doing when it comes to preservation.
The door was behind the wall this entire time!
Bringing Back Sligo 