A Building Renovation Story: Uncovering A Hidden Room

Owning A Piece of History

Old buildings are special. They each tell a unique story and act as a gateway into a past lifetime. When I am in Our Manor, I think back to circa 1906, way before the need for refurbishment, and try to imagine what it was like starting this project. It took an incredible amount of work, planning the structure, finding the right builders, and finalizing every detail. I look at the beautiful walls and picture the workers carefully laying each brick into place. They did not have all of the modern conveniences we have now. It was very back breaking work and projects often took a lot longer than that of today. Each space was built with absolute care, and you can tell in the craftsmanship. They were built to last. That is why, 118 years later, our manor still stands and is one of the many jewels of Main Street.

Doing building renovation on an old structure is no easy task. Each one has it’s own individual quirks and personality. As big of a project this has been thus far, I still would not change a thing. When we first found this place, a family lived in it and were making plans to renovate the space. They saw the beauty in it just like we did. Before they purchased it, it sat vacant for a very long time. Over time, when things are neglected, the building suffers. The beautiful and rich details of the space begin to lose their radiance and things begin to deteriorate. Just like with our bodies, if we do not do proper upkeep, our whole vessel begins to crumble.

A Very Strange and Random Platform

Like other properties of its kind, this building is rich in history and deserved to be properly maintained. After we purchased it in 2018, we immediately went to work on the building renovation process! One of our first projects- removing this awkward platform in the back.

At first, I could not honestly tell what the thought process was when “they”- whoever “they” might be- decided to build this platform. Whether they were trying to create a bridge over the failing floor or just thought of it as an architectural interest, I am just not sure. I do know that it is not original to the building. It awkwardly broke up the space and significantly effected to flow to the back door. It HAD to go!

Now I am no stranger to construction or power tools. My childhood best friend’s dad was a cabinet maker and built their home himself. We spent many days helping hang drywall, putting in can lights above the garage, and installing a tongue and groove ceiling. As much as we probably complained back then, I am so glad that I started to learn the skill. It is very valuable to have when you are doing a building renovation on an extremely tight budget. Now, I LIVE FOR IT!

Time For A Facelift

Not sure where to begin, we decided to first remove the plywood to expose the frame, and then remove it. This plywood was covered in old adhesive, probably from a linoleum floor, and was nailed down. I tried to pry some of it up but I found out fast that that was not going to work… Time to pull out the big tools!

Using my circular saw, I cut out sections of the wood to remove the bulk, then pried off the rest. It seemed to be going a lot faster than the previous method of removal.

Underneath we found insulation and a not-so-welcome surprise…

I am not kidding when I say that building renovation can be kind of a disgusting yet rewarding process.

Removing The Frame

After we removed the plywood and insulation, my sweet mama (Connie), being the cute little cleaner that she was, had to take an opportunity to sweep before we moved on to removing the frame.

I don’t always dance with power tools, sometimes I like to dabble in more laborious instruments, like using my late grandfather’s sledgehammer. Now that thing is SUBSTANTIAL!

I began the process of knocking each board side to side until they detached from the frame. We then set them aside. They were perfectly good 2x6s that I knew I could reuse on another building renovation project!

Uncovering A Piece of History

In the process of removing the frame, we noticed something very interesting….It lit an excitement inside of me like no other…are those……hinges?!

We indeed had found a secret trap door!! This was most definitely original to the building as it was perfectly blended in with the turn of the century hardwood floors. I could not wait to see what was under there!!

After we removed the frame, once again, sweet Mama Connie insisted on sweeping before exploring the door.

Though beautiful, I think I might understand why this was covered up. The poor floor was in pretty poor shape. There were lots of holes and significant sagging. This meant that the joists and supports were going to need to be addressed, which was not something we really anticipated having to do. These are realities that one has to consider when renovating an old building.

What We Uncovered

SPOOKY!! I wonder what is down there??

I carefully opened the door and entered the dark abyss. The stairs were quite spongey as I carefully walked down them. On the bottom step, I came across a treasure! There was a box full of old receipts and checks, some of them dating back to the 1950s!

This was extremely exciting. I found myself once again daydreaming about a past lifetime. One of the receipts was even more special… it was signed by Mrs. Ethel Doggett, the wife of Dr. Doggett, one of the original owners of our building. These will most definitely be framed and proudly displayed in the boutique.

The rest of the basement was pretty dirty and damp. There were a lot of really strange white spiders on the floor joists, which as you can imagine, made it not a place I really wanted to spend a lot of time in.

After some research, we learned that Dr. Doggett, who owned Doggett Drug Store, used to bootleg moonshine in that basement. That is why it was so secretive. I can imagine that he threw a rug over that trap door so no one would suspect a thing!

Although you cannot really see it now, the words “Doggett Liquor” used to be displayed above the back door. It has faded significantly but if you really study it, you can start to make out some of the letters.

This was just one fun project we tackled that delivered a surprise. Over the years we have found and collected several unique mementos. We fully intend to display them in the store as we continue to tell the story of our Manor On Main, lovely and rich in unique history. I cannot wait to share more with you! Stay tuned..