Anyone who owns an old house is used to finding the occasional mouse dropping inside or paper wasp nest hanging outside among the eaves. I guess we are more likely to encounter little critters because of the inevitable holes in the foundation and elaborate exterior woodwork that makes it attractive to insects to build their nests. Our first encounter at this house was a little more extreme than we had expected, however. We hadn’t expected to find a “ghost.”
After purchasing the home, we spent our first weekend there ripping out the 1960s pressed-board paneling in the hallway, certain that what we would find underneath would be an amazing old wainscoting. We were sorely disappointed, however, as whatever had once resided beneath had been summarily rejected and removed by a previous generation of the family.
We knew, however, that there had been something there, as the paneling covered up most of an original elaborate chair rail and the upper part of a fancy molding below. There were areas where the plaster had pulled away with the original material, and signs of the remains of glue from the old wainscoting. We had been so hopeful to find buried treasure beneath these boards that we finished ripping out the paneling in resolved and sad silence. At the end of the afternoon, while removing the last boards in the side hallway we discovered something even worse. The ghost of what once had been installed as the wainscoting revealed itself to us, a sad and dejected visage of its former glory.
This had to be the remains of a Lincrusta pattern. Nothing else made sense. That would also be in keeping with the fact that over each of the hall doorways was a Lincrusta panel — fancier than any we had seen on any mansion tour. There were six panels in total, with three distinct patterns repeated twice. The birds, flowers and elaborate foliage was surrounded by an dense leaf border with flowers in each corner. Layers of paint had obscured much of the details in the design and gave the flowers a marshmallow appearance, but you could make out the figures of the birds and imagine the delicate lines underneath.
After purchasing a couple of the stained glass windows, I kept trying to get the auctioneers attention. When I would catch his eye, I would point emphatically to the carpet we were all standing on and mouth the words “What About The Carpet?”. He would respond with a quizzical shake of the head and move on. After repeating this exchange three or four times, he finally shrugged his shoulders resignedly and announced without enthusiasm: “Now selling the carpet”, and pointed to the floor. People looked around, apparently not having noticed the 1912 Wool Bigelow carpeting they were standing on, and appeared confused about what exactly was for sale. Others were looking around for a “carpet” or some version of a Persian rug, and not finding one, lost interest. I seemed to be the only bidder, and purchased it for the opening bid price. Before the auction was over, at least three dealers approached me to ask if they could buy the carpet from me, not having realized what it was they had been standing on. I politely declined. This would be the carpeting to be installed in my double parlors, with more left over for whatever else we wanted to use it for.
Interestingly enough, the double parlors originally had carpeting, not hardwoods. The hardwood floors in the house are all narrow board oak, likely installed at a later date.
Carla Minosh
While I am new to Blogging, I have always enjoyed sharing the stories of my crazy life, so this is simply another medium to share, and hopefully entertain and enrich others. Perhaps you can feel thankful that your life is so steady and predictable after reading these, perhaps you can appreciate the insanity and wish you had more of it in your life. Either way, the crazy tales are all true (to the best of my spotty recollection) and simply tell the tale of a life full of exploration, enthusiasm, curiosity and hard work. I hope you all enjoy being a part of the journey.
I've been fascinated with the Sublett mansion for years. I stumbled upon this blog looking for information about the Subletts for my blog (thedeadbell.com).