Farm house 1900-2000

1895:
I have seen five generations live in my walls. I have seen the birth of children, who grow old in my walls, pass me on to their children. I have been improved, repaired, upgraded, and added on to. I was built by the Statford family to keep their five children warm and safe. After all the changes I am still a house where families live, gather and celebrate.

The Children slept upstairs in their bunks and the Master of the house slept in the lower room. I have a guest room above the family room and we always seemed to have guests. My family room was the heart of the house. Wood burning stoves kept smoke rising out of my two chimneys and everyone was warm and happy. Candles lit up the night and Mrs. Stanford would make hot choco in her chocolate pot. She would heat it on the wood burning stove and share it with the family and friends. She had special recipes for everyone and every occasion.

1920

As the family grew and they outgrew the normal farmhouse they added on an additional wing with a kitchen and a dining room . Another chimney was added onto the rear of the house for the wood cook stove and the dining room eventually turned into another bedroom. The Christmas parties grew and grew but we still entertained in the front room and Grandma Statford still showed the children how to make the hot chocolate "the old fashion way".

1965

I was passed out of the family to the Jordans. They purchased me and went about with a drastic renovation. They added a family room, two bathrooms(never had one of those), tore down the outhouse and began doing landscaping outside. My fields were sold off and turned into plots for other houses. My outbuildings were either torn down or turned into garages. They were careful to maintain the integrity of the original farmhouse design and even kept the original front as original as they could. They upgraded my windows, added insulation, took out my wood stoves and gave me fireplaces (always wanted fireplaces), nice people.

1995

One day in October they ran across a recipe for Hot chocolate in a chocolate pot. It had been hidden with plans for the house and a picture of the family who built me. They followed the recipe and even bought a pot like one they had seen in pictures. They now celebrate Christmas with hot chocolate just as it has been done in my walls for over 100 years. I am a happy house.

Final Note:

I have tried to do my compare and contrast internally. The house has gone through plenty of changes and in contrast to the house of 1900 the present day house has undergone a huge transformation. I contrast the cramped style of living of 1900 with the fact that only two people now reside at the renovated, larger house. Modern lamps replace the candles, the wood burning stoves are gone, walls have been removed and even the landscape is different. The Chocolate Pot endures as a central piece in the holiday traditions.