Historic Homes and Stewardship
July 20th, 2009
One of the things about living and working in historic homes is the appreciation that you really aren’t the owner of a historic property but rather the steward of one. When you live in a home from the 1830’s, you realize you are just one of a long line of people that have passed through that front door and that others will pass through that front door long after you have gone. 
Hopefully “the spirits” of those who came before you are pleased with what you are doing. Maybe they always longed to live in a salmon colored house with French Quarter green trim. This brings me to a point of how history can reach out and touch you in unexpected ways. In a somewhat blighted home, undergoing extensive renovations, a board was discovered inside one wall written with the date 1887 and signed by two German men. Apparently these two fellows decided to leave a little memento behind for future generations. 
I remember holding that board in my hand and wondering about those two gentlemen and whatever happened to them. With that in mind, as my boyfriend and I are involved in historic renovations, we always take the time to write a note about us, how Katrina affected us, enclose a few pictures, and seal our packet in a zip lock bag to be placed behind a wall before the sheetrock goes up. It is my hope that 100 years from now, someone else will uncover my time capsule and be as touched as I was by those German gentlemen from 1887.
Posted by:
Carol-Jean Dixon
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