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Cupola Surprise

driver

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Mar 16, 2010
Messages
126
I was on the garage roof installing a TV antenna and inspected the condition of the cupola. Inside I found a BELL, with frame. Speculation from the old time neighbor is that it is from the original Fire Hall which can be seen in the background. And yes I rang it.
 

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waggie

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Aug 3, 2010
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Upland, ca
Re: Cupola Surpise

that's awesome! Rig up a electronic thingamajigger so it rings for lunch and dinner time :)
 

509frank

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Apr 23, 2012
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Location
Milton PA
Re: Cupola Surpise

Is it an iron bell and bracket? Any mfg name or info? Are you planning to open up the cupola and display your find?

Frank
 

38Chevy454

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Dec 26, 2006
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Cincinnati, OH
Re: Cupola Surpise

I'd be lucky to find an old bird's nest! That is pretty cool. I would open up so you can see it. Of course rig up a cable or other means so you can ring it!
 

Kevin54

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Urbana, Ohio
Re: Cupola Surpise

I'd take it out of there, clean it up, and mount it to a post by your entrance door. Show it off.
 
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driver

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Mar 16, 2010
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Re: Cupola Surpise

Great find! Lots better than bats inyer belfry...

I don't have any bats but I do have a belfry to put them in. Picture is of the house built in 1897 that came with the garage.
 

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James E

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Jun 21, 2010
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Raleigh, NC
Oh driver, that house is just beautiful.

Cool find on the bell. Nice, large bells are expensive.

My Wife's Grandmother recently moved from their old farmhouse. I scored their large bell that they used to call everyone in to dinner. I had it about a week and the damned white-trash cousin that bought the house (for next to nothing, by the way) whined to my MIL that the bell was gone and she made me give it back.
 
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driver

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Mar 16, 2010
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Re: Cupola Surpise

This.

Any other pics of the house? It is nice looking for sure. Also some of the garage :bowdown:

Here is a couple of the inside and some of the garage in process (not finished yet).
 

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NUTTSGT

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Northern Central Ohio
Generally, I'm not a brick house person. That house takes the cake, freakin awesome. The garage is looking nice, got a build thread on it ?


I'm not trying to jinx or create any bad luck for you in any way, shape or form. Do you have the proper home insurance to cover that place in case something drastic happens ? Does your agent have photos of the interior, with it's great woodwork in your folder at his office ?
 
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driver

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I'm not trying to jinx or create any bad luck for you in any way, shape or form. Do you have the proper home insurance to cover that place in case something drastic happens ? Does your agent have photos of the interior, with it's great woodwork in your folder at his office ?[/QUOTE]

Yes we have substantial insurance, however the interior woodwork can never be replaced as the wood is no longer available for example the base boards are over 12" high from one board of oak. The front and foyer doors are solid 4" thick oak. It could replaced with a similar look but never duplicated.
 

Omphaloskeptic

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Oct 11, 2008
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Ultima Ratio, Wa.
There's got to be a LOT of history associated with that bell and your home! That mill work is exquisite; I hope you can trace who designed/built it and for whom. If that home is not on the National Register of Historic Homes, it well should be. I just can't help but wonder what other forgotten treasures are hidden within your home.
 

Kevin54

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I'm not trying to jinx or create any bad luck for you in any way, shape or form. Do you have the proper home insurance to cover that place in case something drastic happens ? Does your agent have photos of the interior, with it's great woodwork in your folder at his office ?

Yes we have substantial insurance, however the interior woodwork can never be replaced as the wood is no longer available for example the base boards are over 12" high from one board of oak. The front and foyer doors are solid 4" thick oak. It could replaced with a similar look but never duplicated.[/QUOTE]

The woodwork could probably be replaced. They still have places that harvest old wood. Also recyclers would more than likely have it, but it would more than likely cost you both arms and both legs for it. Just the woodwork at the stairs would cost a small fortune in itself. I am guessing that you have adequate insurance for coverage, but do you have adequate pictures just in case? If not, I recommend that you take a day and photograph everything and put the disk or jumpdrive or whatever in a safety deposit box at a bank. If that woodwork was ever destroyed, you'd have a heck of a time even trying to explain to someone what it looked like with no pics. Again...gorgeous home. You have something to really be proud of. :bowdown:
 

NUTTSGT

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Yes we have substantial insurance, however the interior woodwork can never be replaced as the wood is no longer available for example the base boards are over 12" high from one board of oak. The front and foyer doors are solid 4" thick oak. It could replaced with a similar look but never duplicated.

The woodwork could probably be replaced. They still have places that harvest old wood. Also recyclers would more than likely have it, but it would more than likely cost you both arms and both legs for it. Just the woodwork at the stairs would cost a small fortune in itself. I am guessing that you have adequate insurance for coverage, but do you have adequate pictures just in case? If not, I recommend that you take a day and photograph everything and put the disk or jumpdrive or whatever in a safety deposit box at a bank. If that woodwork was ever destroyed, you'd have a heck of a time even trying to explain to someone what it looked like with no pics. Again...gorgeous home. You have something to really be proud of. :bowdown:[/QUOTE]
Right on Kevin, I was trying to get at that too. BEAUTIFUL home.
 
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driver

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Mar 16, 2010
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126
Great house!

What are you using on the outside of those wooden drawers? Looks good!

The drawers are built to simulate slats to match 2 of the drawers made with slats to allow air circulation as it is used for all my chargers. The pulls are an aluminum extrusion mounted to 1 by pine with grooved routed to simulate the slats. I took one of the HF toolbox drawers to HD to match the paint color.
 
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D

driver

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126
Thank you all for the kind words on our house and garage. We are quite proud of it.

The only history we know so far is the house (and they one next door) was built by a Mr. Smith in 1897 for his 2 daughters and was subsequently purchased by a doctor who owned it for many years. There are 2 others in town that are copies, but they have had substantial modifications and additions. Ours has very few changes from original. We dis however modernize the kitchen.

We have been told the interior is one of the last house in Chatham to have the original woodwork intact. I do have to thank the man we bought from to have spent a large amount of money in restoring the wood, cleaning and re-coating. There is still some upstairs that is very dark and I would expect all of it was like that from the age.

Thanks again for all the comments.
 

NUTTSGT

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We have been told the interior is one of the last house in Chatham to have the original woodwork intact. I do have to thank the man we bought from to have spent a large amount of money in restoring the wood, cleaning and re-coating. There is still some upstairs that is very dark and I would expect all of it was like that from the age.

Thanks again for all the comments.

Buy that man a beer. :beer:
 

Lippyp

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Jun 26, 2006
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Shropshire, UK
You have a very nice house, typical late Victorian over the topness! So many houses like that over here got trashed during the 60's and 70's, all the woodwork got painted white, doors had the beadings ripped off and panelled smooth with hardiboard, fireplaces ripped out. I remember my parents doing just that to their house in about 1972, beautiful cast iron fireplaces ripped out and thrown in a dumpster. You're lucky its so original.

We spent the last 15 years restoring a slightly later house, 1903 so I understand the delights and frustrations having spent hours picking thick emulsion paint and distemper off plaster mouldings, stripping acres of gloss paint, finding craftsmen to repair stuff, make new matching wood mouldings, the delights of pulling back the nasty mouldy hall carpet and finding a patterned original encaustic tile floor underneath, finding the missing albeit damaged stained glass panels from some of the windows chucked in the cupboard under the stairs.

You gotta do something with that bell though!
 
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