When we visited the Keyhole House for the first time in 2018, entering through the Moorish arch was almost like crossing a threshold into another world. We touched the ornate moulding surrounding the doorway to the parlor. We stood back to admire the breathtaking and unusual stained-glass panels highlighting the front hall. It felt like a dream. The architecture and craftsmanship was incredible.

We have been living here for almost three years now. Our gratitude for the privilege of living in this eclectic mix of architectural movements has not faded. We love the Romanesque architecture, the Italianate brackets on the frieze above the second story windows, the Queen Anne Revival style porch and the Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie Style inspired stained glass. The house creaks and groans and lulls us to sleep every night.

Some of the creators who built this grand Victorian home left us a note wedged in a door jamb. It fell on the floor while I was removing the door frame in Marion’s sewing room. The brittle scrap of paper is dated June 1892 and reads “This day for God & Queen have we pledged ourselves to live a life of soberness & love.” The note is signed by three people, Benj Byram, Joe Boynton, and Bill Rogers.