Saturday, July 12, 2008

Lemuel Got Me Thinking

To some it is The Lakeview House, but to me it is my grandparents house where I had some of most wonderful memories. When I was so cold from toboganning or ice skating, or just cold from the walk to school. My grandmother would take off our wet clothes and hang them on the stove oven to dry out. This was when she would bake us molasses cookies, help her dye her hair to a magnificent blue. Roll her makings(cigarettes) for her at the tender age of eight. Watch as she put on her make-up by her bed.(that was when rouge came in a bottle). I'll never forget the time when I wanted pierced earings. I walked around all day with clothes pins on my ears to numb them and then when my mom went to put a needle in my ear, I fainted.

Then my nana brought out the cure for all evils...... Pearl Brandy. She also gave me that when I got the measles. They(my grandparents) had a fireplace in their bedroom, and I don't know how old I was (VERY young) and one night when I sleeping over, I found her walking around with her housecoat on fire. I was young but knew I had to put it out. I wrapped her in a blanket from the bed.
When my father, grandmother and grandfather all died in the same year, it was too much for my mother and she sold the old house! We were kids and had no say.











Here is what became of it.....

Description of Property:

Located in Big Pond, Nova Scotia, "Lakeview House" is a two-and-one-half storey, three bay façade, Gothic Revival style building. It was built in 1882, as a residence and inn. It is located on East Bay Highway beside the entrance to the Loch Lomond Road overlooking the Bras d' Or Lake in the village of Big Pond. Both the building and surrounding property are included in the municipal designation.

Heritage Value:

The heritage value of Lakeview House, as recognised in its municipal designation, is in its age; Gothic Revival style; and its associations with merchant, Allan Morrison.The house was built in 1882 by prominent Big Pond merchant Allan Morrison, who lived there with his family and operated it as an inn. It also served as a state coach stop, where passengers were picked up and dropped off, and where drivers could change their horse teams. The house is a good example of the Gothic Revival style in Cape Breton and one of the older buildings in Big Pond. Lakeview House retains its many of its original Gothic Revival elements including, a gable roof with central cross gable dormer with pointed window and hood cornice. The house also retains many original interior elements, inlcuding decorative elements, doors and floors. Source: CBRM Heritage Property Files: H 2.

Character Defining Elements:

Character-defining elements of Lakeview House include:- two-and-one half stories;- symmetrical design;- three bay facade;- all elements of the Gothic Revival style including, gable roof with central cross gable dormer with pointed window and hood cornice molding and surrounding trim, central doorway, two-over-two double hung windows with hood cornice molding and surrounding trim; - shingle cladding;- central low slope roof entrance porch with lower paneling and four-over-four windows;- location on the East Bay Highway, beside the Loch Lomond Road overlooking the Bras d' Or Lake;- rubble stone foundation.Character-defining elements original to the interior of Lakeview House include:- basic structure and layout of center hall plan;- plaster walls;- plaster crown moldings;- central varnished staircase rising two stories;- doors and trim;- hardwood and softwood floors;- slate fireplace mantle.

I miss it very much!!

4 comments:

Lemuel said...

As I read your post I could not but play in my mind the song "Secret Gardens" by Judy Collins. The songs tells of the wonderful childhood memories of the grandparents' homes and of the sadness of growing up and of the changes and loss that occur. In the chorus there is a celebration of the "secret gardens of the heart where the old stay young forever."

What a marvelous property (with such a rich history!)! Despite the sadness of missing it, may your memories of it and your grandparents bring you much joy!

maggie said...

Thank you Lemuel. There is another story also. The new owners(15 years) say there is a ghost in the house. I believe it to be my grandmother.They brought me in one time to see if I could communicate with it. They say the lady (it is a lady), when they go up into the atic someone tries to push them down the stairs. She didn't push me, (I'm family to her)!! :-)

Ur-spo said...

I had a similar house or two - owned by my mother's relatives in my grandparent's generation. i can still see/smell and feel the houses. Sometimes I 'go there' and walk the halls. I wonder if my astral self is seen in them as a 'haunting'.

maggie said...

Dear Spo, That is a very good question which I don't have an answer for, just a supposition.

I think we are real living people
to them and they are the "astral beings or entities". I also believe that they think they have priority because they were there first.
Hence, who is doing the "haunting"?

Either way it is a very interesting topic that I wish I knew more about.
Maggie