What's in a House History?
Know the Neighborhood Another good reason to research your home's history is because you might find out some cool stuff about your neighborhood. East Lake is an old community in Atlanta -- best known for the classic East Lake Country Club, host of PGA tour events. But the area has a rich and interesting history that was uncovered by current residents using local history resources. Around the turn of the century, there was a farm about five miles (a little more than 8 kilometers) from downtown Atlanta that included two creeks and a five-spring watershed. The owner of a street car company bought the farm, dammed up the lake, ran a street car line from downtown Atlanta and created an early version of the live-work-play communities that are becoming popular again today. The newly developed East Lake included schools, stores, hotels and an entertainment pavilion overlooking the lake, which included beaches and multiple recreational areas. East Lake fell from grandeur in the 1960s, and its only notoriety in the 1990s was that it contained one of the nation's most dangerous housing developments called East Lake Meadows. Due to a generous benefactor, East Lake is back on the upswing and has become a national model for urban revitalization [source: Eastlake.org]. |
What can you find out about your home in researching its history? Maybe your kitchen is where the living room used to be, helping to explain the odd angles and ill-placed window. Or perhaps you hear things that go bump in the night with no explanation and think the old owner may be paying a little visit. There are many interesting reasons to take a trip down someone else's memory lane and learn more about the house that you call home.
Renovators who wish to return their home to its original grandeur could benefit from knowing their house's history. It can be a challenge to include original details if you're not sure quite what it looked like when it was built. Years of carpet over hardwoods, drywall over fireplaces and tile over tile have left it looking worse for wear. A room added here, a wall moved there, and suddenly your floor plan no longer resembles its former self. If you're fortunate enough to track down someone who has photos of your house in its early years, the guesswork is done.
If your house is an architectural masterpiece, you might want to get it listed on the National Register for Historic Places to ensure that it's preserved long after you're gone. One of the criteria is that the house is associated with events that have made a contribution to history. For example, if a notable historical figure ever lived in your house or even visited, this fits the bill. But you have to be able to back it up, so in comes those hours of combing through microfiche.
Whether or not you believe in ghosts, some people actually do claim to have them in their homes. Unless you live in California or Hawaii, which require disclosure of unearthly visitors or ghostly activity, you're pretty much on your own to get to the bottom of it. If odd and unexplainable events send you running out the door on a regular basis, neighbors may be able to offer some insight. But if not, you might want to head over to your local library and start your own research.
