Homes with History (112)The Savannah, Ga., home of the artist Ann Osteen is unusual in several ways. For starters, it wasn't build by architects but by shipbuilders looking for work during cold winter months. It is the oldest ballastone cotton warehouse still standing in the US, and its original flywheel was adapted by the owner to maintain the structure's historic qualities. Join us for a tour of Osteen's unique dwelling.
Then, meet Janice and Alan Granby, who have long shared a love of all things nautical. Their purchase of a lighthouse on Cape Cod, Mass., cemented their commitment to preserving and collecting nautical antiques. The lighthouse was converted into a home partly by raising roof beams. The home features a collection of ship models as well as a lens room, like that of a working lighthouse.
Next, visit with George and Nancy Karklins, who after years of moving from town to town for George's job were thrilled to finally settle down in one city. The couple's 200-year-old home, on land originally settled by William Penn, includes pine floors, four fireplaces, a fieldstone exterior, and a 1930s addition.
Finally, see the house belonging to Kay Smith—artist laureate of Illinois—which aptly expresses her love of America. The Chicago home, built in the late 1800s, features an addition with red brick walls. Smith's patriotic paintings are displayed throughout the home, in frames and as wall murals.
Osteen Home Facts:
- Ballastones were stones used as ballast in ships arriving from Europe; they were unloaded to make room for cotton.
- In 2001, the National Cotton Council of America estimated that US textile mills would spin almost 10 million bales of cotton that year. That's enough cotton to make about three billion pairs of jeans and eight billion dress shirts.
- Wooden floors hold their value; homes with wooden floors typically sell faster and for more money.
Lighthouse Facts:
- The first American lighthouse was built on Little Brewster Island in Boston Harbor (1716).
- Art conservation requires close attention to the temperature and humidity of a room. In humid regions, air conditioning and dehumidifiers are used to maintain room temperatures.
- The first American lighthouse to use electricity was the Statue of Liberty (1886).
- Original lighthouse lamps used sperm whale oil, lard, kerosene, and wild cabbage oil.
- During the day, lighthouses are daymarkers—they have individual colors, bands, markings and stripes for daytime identification to aid navigators in pinpointing their location.
Fieldstone Home Facts:
- Fieldstone is weathered, irregularly shaped stone that is not quarried.
- Many say that the toilet, which became popular in homes in the late 1700s, marks man's final ascent to civilization.
- Hickory wood is also used for furniture, gymnastic parallel bars, and skis.
Smith Home Facts:
- Edward Burling (1819-1892) was one of Chicago's original architects. Most of the buildings Burling designed were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire.
- Before painting a brick wall, remove efflorescence (white salt deposits), and prime it with a masonry sealer.
- Kay Smith was named Illinois artist laureate in 1994.
- Smith was the first artist to be awarded the George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge.
- Velvet dates back to the ancient Egyptians. Through the ages it has been used to signify status and wealth.
