Inside our home

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This wing of the home served as Hudson post office when John Whedon became post master. It was either moved here or was pressed into service while the main home was being built that year. It's now our dine-in kitchen area with the original front door blocked off. At some stage it might also have been a dental surgery when Catherine Whedon married Dr Edward Rogers

We restored and  re-purposed original materials throughout the home. Lumber to build the home came from Ohio's old-growth forests as the Western Reserve was settled. This table top was built from left over poplar and oak floor boards. The frame from oak beams and studs removed when we opened up the kitchen. Check out the coasters made from the same 4x4 quarter-sawn oak used for the table legs. 

The kitchen floor boards were re-laid from the living room after we had to replace the floor. The beams holding the kitchen lighting were the oak joists saved when we vaulted the kitchen ceiling.

Our friend Rusty Brittain built this table for us and runs an arts and furniture restoration business 

https://www.customrustler.com/portfolio

We used to admire this bench in our friends living room. Tim and Diane sold up to live on their boat as "loopers" touring the US. With great sentimental value to Tim (and no room on the boat), we offered to take care of his Dad's workbench. In the 1960's, Beryl Vandersall followed his father into the Goodyear tire factories as a pipe-fitter, maintaining the miles of factory piping. He wheeled this bench around with his tools eventually taking it with him when he retired. Like so many of our friends from this area, parents came to work in the factories of Akron and Cleveland, bought a home and put their kids through college. The American Dream. Known as "Van", he got along with everyone and was noted as "even keeled". His son, Tim graduated as an engineer and seems just like his Dad!

This is a picture of our dining table with Stuart's parent's wedding gifts in 1958. It belonged to Stuart's grandmother from Dublin, Ireland. After the wedding, parents moved to England, Dad working in construction by day, Mum working in a carburetor factory at night to share care for baby Stuart. They saved up to buy a home, put Stuart through college as an engineer. The British equivalent of the American dream for so many Irish families! 

"Frame Homes" as they were called then used a post and beam construction method brought from Europe to New England and onto the early Western Reserve. Essentially a box made from eight inch oak beams at each corner and along the foundation and ceiling. This method was commonly used before modern "stick framing" become popular after the Civil War. When restoring the living room and kitchen, we chose to leave the beams exposed to "show the bones" of the house. This is common in older British homes and of course traditional English pubs. The front room or "parlor" where guests would be welcomed to the house has the original Federal/Greek Revival-style moldings and the beams finished in plaster. For the living room and kitchen, we sourced moldings to restore to what would have been the original designs.

A re-purposed ice-box probably from early 20th century. Before mechanical refrigerators were mass produced (around 1918). BTW, the teapot has a "tea cosy" knitted by Stuart's Mother. Intended to keep the tea hot while brewing and essential for making a cup of tea she would approve of. Please don't wear it LOL!

"In our private pursuits it is a great advantage that every honest employment is deemed honorable. I am myself a nail maker." Thomas Jefferson

By the early 1800's hand-wrought nails had been mostly overtaken by cut nails made from iron bars such as these recovered during the restoration. By late 1800's the wire nails we use today became standard.

We lived in Jamshedpur, India for a few years and bought this piece from traveling craftsmen. It's hand carved from solid walnut. Paired with a locally procured office chair restored by friend Rusty of Custom Rustler. Four legs no longer acceptable for office use, but it's solid and beautifully made with a real industrial quality mechanism.