The Northeastern United States is home to some of the earliest history in our country, the birthplace of American democracy. Having rich resources, lush forests, abundant fishing & fertile farmland, the area led the country’s development in the early years.
Heavy industry spawned the formation of some of the most populous cities & drew immigrants from many countries. It produced some of the country’s oldest & most prestigious universities. Today, New York is the world’s foremost financial center.
Included here on my blog, is a small offering of the historic house museums that you can see in the area. They represent homes & history in the states of New York, Maryland & Massachusetts & Maine.
LET’S VISIT SOME HOUSE MUSEUMS IN THE NORTHEAST!
Surratt House Museum (2:37)
Parks and Recreation, Prince George’s County
A Confederate safe house during the Civil War, built by a conspirator in Lincoln’s assassination.
Tourist in Your Own Town #61 – Lewis Latimer House Museum (2:39)
NYLandmarks
The home of a brilliant & multi-talented man.
Tourist In Your Own Town #36 – Louis Armstrong House Museum (3:57)
NYLandmarks
A time capsule of the 50’s, 60’s & 70’s.
Immersive experiences offered at Glen Magna Farms and the Nichols House Museum
WCVB
Visit this beautiful farm & garden, then cruise over to a beautiful 5,000 square foot house built in the Federalist style, which once housed some accomplished & intriguing people.
Hometown Maine – Portland’s Tate House (3:21)
WMTW-TV
A tour of a Georgian house built in Colonial times, the only home from the era in Portland, that is open to the public.
If you have toured these homes, please let me know your impressions of them.
STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!
Sign up for our newsletter & receive our FREE E-book, 7 VITAL Things to Do Before You Hire a Contractor.
The preservation advocacy groups in New York fight unwise development, public apathy, & inadequate funding for preservation projects & education. Though they fight a good fight, with many wins under their belts, they need your help.
Participating in preservation groups is the way that you can help. Does it hurt your heart when you see an old building go under the wrecking ball? Adding your voice can make a difference.
Look to see who’s in your area. And if I’m missing one, let me know!
The Preservation League of NYS is the statewide nonprofit preservation advocacy group for New York which protects the state’s historic structures & landscapes through community revitalization while supporting wise economic growth.
They advocate for intelligent public polices, support historic tax credits, deliver education through workshops & seminars, & speak in the media advancing the awareness of the benefits of preservation throughout the state.
The Landmark Society of Western New York, Inc., is one of the most well-established & effective, preservation advocacy groups in New York. They focus on nine counties in western New York
The Landmark Society’s service area covers nine counties in western New York in their work to promote preservation & intelligent use of their historic & cultural resources.
STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!
Sign up for our newsletter & receive our FREE E-book, 7 VITAL Things to Do Before You Hire a Contractor.
The house museums in the Western U.S. shown here are the technological & cultural predecessors of our bungalows. They are built of the elements that you can see in our homes hundreds of years later.
I lived most of my life in the West & its austerity greatly impacted my own aesthetic. I can clearly remember gazing upward at the ruins of the first inhabitants of the houses cut into the rocks in Arizona, when I was on a first grade field trip. Even as a wee one I was awed by their age & wished for a time machine so that I could speak with the ancient occupants & experience life as they knew it, high up on the cliffs.
Decades later, I’m still pining for that time machine.
I have visited the last 3 houses listed here & would love to see the ones in Oregon & Washington. I have not included the Gamble House in Pasadena, California because I speak of it so often on other pages. It’s well worth a visit!
I hope to get out West this year & will take many photos to share with you, but I urge to visit yourself.
LET’S VISIT SOME HOUSE MUSEUMS IN THE WESTERN U.S.
West Seattle’s Log House Museum explores the city’s history and looks toward its future
king5evening
I have always wanted to live in a log house. I’m sure that they offered few comforts & allowed creepy creatures easy access, but I am still intrigued. I can well understand Stickley’s famous quote, “There are elements of intrinsic beauty in the simplification of a house built on the log cabin idea..”
Flavel House Museum, Astoria, Oregon
David McElveen (3:51. The section on the museum starts at about 1:20)
I love houses that are furnished with the original family’s belongings.
Charles F. Lummis & Lummis House (8:29)
Jasmine Apple
I want to live in this house.
A wonderfully done presentation showing us this beautiful, Arts & Crafts adobe structure & explaining the accomplishments of Charles F. Lummis.
The oldest surviving house in Los Angeles, built in 1818.
Take a look into the history of Casa Grande Ruins
AZFamily
My aesthetic was solidly formed by the austerity of the desert where I lived as a child & young adult. I guess it explains why I grow cactus in Florida & why I love A&C!
STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!
Sign up for our newsletter & receive our FREE E-book, 7 VITAL Things to Do Before You Hire a Contractor.
Restoration can be very rewarding, but, it can be soul-crushing & heavily taxing on the body. Hideous surprises & surly, incompetent tradespeople can threaten to annihilate one’s sweet nature on a daily basis. At the same time, the body is being hit by the stirring up of the 100 year old accumulation of decayed organic matter, materials that are now banned from use, materials that are currently in use but highly toxic, & then there’s the challenge of living with no kitchen.
The resulting deficiencies can cause a reduction in the much needed energy & the emotional resilience required in returning a property to an even livable condition. The common response is to head for those foods that comfort instead of nourish & to hunker down in front of the TV or electronic device of choice instead of moving the body to get rid of the toxins & work out the kinks.
Perhaps you are unfamiliar with the basics of a healthful lifestyle. Maybe you need a refresher. It could also be that you could benefit from a gentle nudge or a swift kick in the derriere. These videos will provide all of them & you can take your pick!
VIDEOS ON STAYING HEALTHY WHILE RESTORING AN OLD HOUSE
Wellness Wednesday: How to Heal Your Gut Bacteria with The Sonnenburgs (39:21)
Phoebe Lapine
The Sonnenburgs are Stanford scientists who have been in the forefront of research on gut health. Their discoveries have tied together the various factors which produce good general health. Learn why what you put on your plate can help proof your body against the physical & mental stresses of old house restoration. As a bonus, they are warm & articulate!
5 Surprising Health Benefits of Walking (And Why You Should Do It Everyday) – According To Science (9:40)
Dr. Steven Hulme
A very interesting talk, with some great images, on how walking keeps us healthy.
Stanford researchers find mental health prescription: Nature (2:08)
Standford
I’m a real fan of Stanford. They are producing some great research on natural healing.
Is a Calorie a Calorie? Processed Food, Experiment Gone Wrong (1:39:37)
Stanford Health Care
Who is making this “food,” what is it made of & how is it made? Yep, this is a long video, but the information in it could change, enhance & prolong your life.
Please let me know if these videos have given you a new viewpoint on how you can gain more control over your own health.
STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!
Sign up for our newsletter & receive our FREE E-book, 7 VITAL Things to Do Before You Hire a Contractor.
The bungalow is a hybrid, born of the Arts & Crafts Movement of the United Kingdom, the Craftsman Movement of the Eastern United States & the beauty of the Southern California landscape.
The cultures & technologies of the time conspired to create a philosophy which motivated an aesthetic inspired by nature, & a housing type that was suitable for all parts of the U.S. Regional differences allowed for variations in materials & style, but the basic bungalow took America by storm & has remained the favorite American home for over 100 years.
Let’s begin at the beginning & take a look at how the Arts & Crafts Movement affected the aesthetic of the time on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching even into Asia & Australia. I encourage you to watch the Gustav Stickley videos which further tie together the European & American Movements.
THE BUNGALOW & THE ARTS & CRAFTS MOVEMENT
Arts and Crafts: Design in a Nutshell (2:29)
OpenLearn from The Open University
A quick intro to A&C.
Arts and Crafts Movement (8:15)
AP Art History
A bit more in-depth look of the Arts & Crafts Movements in Europe & the U.S.
History of the Arts Crafts Movement Part 1 of 3 (11:36)
Beautiful images & informative video, but it’s way too fast. Slow it down & learn a great deal about the Movement.
You will be linked from past 1 to part 2 & then to part 3 from there. All 3 are well worth watching.
Take a tour of world’s first Arts and Crafts Movement Museum (3:06)
FOX 13 Tampa Bay
This museum is a miracle. It tells the complete story of Arts & Crafts. Once again, slow it down to fully absorb the information & the images.
STAY IN THE BUNGALOW KNOW!!!
Sign up for our newsletter & receive our FREE E-book, 7 VITAL Things to Do Before You Hire a Contractor.
The Northeastern United States is home to some of the earliest history in our country, the birthplace of American democracy. Having rich resources, lush forests, abundant fishing & fertile farmland, the area led the country’s development in the early years.
The preservation advocacy groups in New York fight unwise development, public apathy, & inadequate funding for preservation projects & education. Though they fight a good fight, with many wins under their belts, they need your help.
Preservation League of NYS
Beachside Bungalows Preservation Association
Landmark Society of Western New York
The house museums in the Western U.S. shown here are the technological & cultural predecessors of our bungalows. They are built of the elements that you can see in our homes hundreds of years later.
Restoration can be very rewarding, but, it can be soul-crushing &
The bungalow is a hybrid, born of the Arts & Crafts Movement of the United Kingdom, the Craftsman Movement of the Eastern United States & the beauty of the Southern California landscape.