Have you ever been in a really old home and wondered about the former tenants/owners?

Question

who they were, what they and their families were like, what the worries of the times were then, the cost of things then.

I am fascinated by old buildings and just wish the walls could talk.

Answer 1

You would love the old house that I was brought up in then, Its called Balhousie House and is the dower house to Balhousie Castle, It was burned to the ground and then rebuilt in 1664. Its a massive dark old place with huge rooms and still has the bells that used to be rung to call a servant, My dad had them disconnected though as we drove the adults wild as we were always pulling the ropes to ring them. There are a lot of out houses and stables too but they had to be pulled down as they were not too safe. If you email me I'll send you a pic of it.

Answer 2

I have always had a love for the older structures. However, three years ago, I was looking for an older home for a B&B. I saw so many that needed so much work and was just about to give up!

I was visiting my daughter and I took a drive to the other end of the town...there sat a house of my dreams! I called the number, on my cell phone and got in touch with a realtor. The realtor gave me all the information and called to see if I could take a tour. Everything was perfect! The price, the sqaure footage, in great condition, huge old trees everywhere with six acres of mainly, huge oaks.

The realtor arrived, I was so excited and the tour began! The present owner, was home and very chatty! I walked into the the formal entry and was just taken by the beautiful carved woodwork! All the bullseye trimming and the beautiful pocket doors! We began to walk into the parlor and the owner blurted out, "And there, about where you are standing, laid the body of old man ?" I froze! lol! I am sure the realtor saw the look on my face! I was simply not ready for that information.

I was too busy trying to shake off the feeling I had so that I could really observe, through the rest of the tour. I have no clue why it shocked me like that! LOL I just remember I felt like I had just stepped on someones grave!

I did NOT buy this home!

Answer 3

Yes, I absolutely love old homes and always wonder how the people who lived there lives were. There is this very old house near my home and it is up on this abandoned Hill surrounded by the most beautiful winding stairs. Since the first time I set eyes on that house it felt like I was drawn into it. You can tell there was a fire at some point, but it is still standing. I have snuck inside and it is absolutely beautiful. Old furnace stove, large porcelain tub and the highest ceilings. I have tried and tried to find any information regarding any former owners/occupants, but have found nothing.

I am so drawn to that house I think I will keep looking one day something will have to come up.

Answer 4

We used to live in an apartment building that was built in 1909. I went to the historical society and found old photos of the building from the outside and inside, along with furnishings. It was built for the wealthy in the area and each floor was one apartment and even had maid quarters. Very interesting. When we moved in it was somewhere in the late 1980's and the stoves were the old gas stoves from the 40's, the fridge was only about 4 feet high with no shelves in the door and an ice box that was maybe one foot square. The kitchen even had a working dumbwaiter. Those walls did talk at times! It was an interesting place to live.

Answer 5

I had.Twice. On a transferable job you do not have much choice and have to move in whatever accommodation is available. I had stayed in two old houses not lived in for a long time. At one place I stayed alone and at another with my wife and children. The appearance of both the placed was rather foreboding as the constructions were very old .unrepaired and unoccupied for a long time. But both were quite commodious.I was rather intrigued at both the places people asking me soliciously if I was OK and had no misgivings about the places. I had none and I told them honestly and when I tried to dig in for these repeated queries I understood that both the houses were supposed to be haunted but ,honestly, I had no such fears. I,however, had some fleeting thoughts about the old occupants and sometimes I grieved for them for their lonely residence in desolate placed like this but that only occasionally and more lightly than seriously.The townspeople slyly suggested that I should not paay any rent to the landlord who had not forewarned about the matter. But since I had no such unusual experience(nor my wife or children) I ignored these suggestions. But lo and behold, when I left both the places on transfer both the landlords voluntarily offered to refund the entire rent to me which, of course, I did not accepted. On my later visit to these placed years after I found them fully occupied with an atmosphere of fearlessness. The landlords who had moved in insisted upon recleiving me formally and (I felt gratefully) I learnt from them that their earlier attempts to exorcise the placed through a sorcecer had proved futile as the magicians had advised them that the ghosts were too powerul and had refused to leave their haunts.Do you think that solicitude for the ghosts libertes them. I had read in the Canterville Ghost that the ghost told the small girl that if only somebody could pray god with love for him and devotion to releasle him from the bondage he would be released from the condition. The little girl did and the ghost was liberated.Are the ghosts,if there are any, more sinned against than sinning.

Answer 6

When i was a child my grandparents were caretakers for a huge building that hosted boys every summer. The history of this place was that it had started out as a dance hall, the place was 100 or so years old back in 70's. There were some very interesting things happen in that old place.

I have always wondered about the old houses and the people that lived inside way back when.

Answer 7

Yes. I saw a show on TV where people purchased a home to renovate. It was built around 1800s. They found all sort of things in the attic and under floor boards. Really interesting stuff.

In the house we purchased about 30 years ago, is an attic and we are afraid to go up there and check it out. I think someone saw a trunk up there. Whoooo scary. If I was younger I would go up there, but I am curious, but scared. Sometimes we hear noises.

Answer 8

Ya.....about as far as I got though....just wondering. It's cool to see the little markings in the woodwork where they measured each kid at their birthday to see how big they got etc. Stuff like that never really crossed my mind when I was young and really did get to live in old houses. I know the last place I lived was an old train station when it was first built. It was small and people just added a room on here and there. The tin ceilings were about the only thing left that hadn't been re-done.

Answer 9

Yes, I'm fascinated by how things were and what people were like 'back then'. I've always wished I could travel back in times to see how things were and live among the people. I sometimes try to imagine it all. I love 'Little House on the Prairie' and I've read up on Laura Ingells Wilder, it would have been fun to compare her family's real life to the show. I know much of it was made up for good TV.

Answer 10

Sure do....and every house I have bought came with deeds containing all previous owners..sometimes I would look up these people, call them, ask this , that..interesting to find out so much history in a house..life, death, etc. And in only one house did I think there might be a spirit of a former owner who died there...his damned bedroom door would not stay shut over night, no matter how we made sure the door was closed and snapped into the keep. But ....what can I say, no harm, just amusement. Love to all, Phil