Old houses are keepers of secrets and witnesses to history. They have many stories to tell if you are willing to listen. We bought an old house with a view to restoring it and quickly developed a great passion for the rich history of the house and the community. It began during the home inspection, when we discovered something which made us suspect that the house had chosen us as its custodians. In the attic, nestled amongst some bat droppings and a bird’s nest, we found a 1946 edition of the Star Weekly. The headline read: “Dance, Little Ladies.” My wife Marion has toured the world as a professional dancer, so we considered this to be a warm welcome, and bought the house. Since the newspaper was used as insulation, the date told us when the attic was renovated. Later we learned that this was at a time when the residence was being used as a rooming house.

The inspection of a house can reveal many clues to its history. When possible, take a close look between walls, under floorboards, inside attic rafters, and fireplaces. Contractors, carpenters, and plasterers have often signed and dated their work.

Upon investigation, we discovered that George Swayne signed and dated the plaster prior to hanging wallpaper for his daughter in 1938. The original carpenters who built our house signed and dated moulding around a door frame and left a note hidden behind it. They even left one of their tools behind. While the house was being rewired, an ancient screwdriver was discovered under the floorboards in the attic. Reginald Burroughs moved into the house in 1907 and signed his name in a concrete windowsill in the basement. A tax stamp from 1940 indicates that an empty rye bottle in the basement probably belonged to former owner Harry Buchanan. During our dining room restoration, we discovered a century-old golf ball which sparked a media frenzy and made national news headlines. We even uncovered some archaeological finds buried in the backyard while digging to create a terrace, including broken plates, glass milk bottles, cutlery, fireplace tiles, and some marbles.