RESTORED SAMPLE-McDOUGALD HOUSE TO BECOME MUSEUM

Final phase of the restoration of this 94-year old home soon begins.  It is one of South Florida’s oldest homes, in Pompano Beach, and is becoming a museum.  Preservationists have worked for the past decade on restoration of the 1916 Colonial-style home which was moved in 2001 from Dixie Highway just south of Sample Road to 450 NE 10^th Street.  It now features a new roof, repaired Dade County Pine woodwork and updated columns. New native trees and vegetation are now on the 2.5-acre property.  The home is built of cypress throughout and includes a wide columnar U-shaped porch. 

Two stories, there are 5 bedrooms upstairs, one downstairs and a reception room, parlor, dining room and kitchen with butler pantry.  Ceilings are 11’ high and there are many windows.  Extra brick pillars reinforced the foundation, and it withstood devastating hurricanes.  Kitchen and bathrooms have been updated.  New electrical and climate-control systems will be installed, and floors refinished and exhibits installed.  There will be space for special events and social functions.

So far over $1MM has been spent, with another $1.2MM anticipated to be spent.  When finished the grounds will be a Centennial Park in honor of Pompano Beach’s 100^th Anniversary celebrated in 2008.  The house, built during South Florida’s pioneer era, is on the National Register of Historic Places.  Tours will be held focusing on the region’s history.

Delray Beach is known for it’s historical homes built from the 1920’s on, and some built earlier, many of which have original details carefully preserved.  Samuel Ogren Sr. and Jr. worked together on many Delray Beach structures, and developed a style known as “historic village-by-the-sea” architecture. They were the most influential architects with their achievements.

Samuel Ogren Sr. is being honored by the Delray Beach Historical Society as the city’s first registered architect, and is known as the “Father of Delray Beach Architecture.”  There will be 6 panel discussions on Ogren for his work on Sandoway House, Delray Beach Club, the Arcade, the Gymnasium and 1926 High School at Old School Square, starting March 2^nd running until May 20.  For more information call 561-274-9578.  Selected architectural drawings of both Ogren’s works will be on display, donated by the Ogren family to the  Historical Society’s archives. 

Wanting to create a portable exhibit of the drawing reproductions, The Historical Society is applying for a Florida Humanities Council Grant, to educate the community on the importance of understanding and preserving the essential elements of historic local architecture. 

19th ANNUAL BIG WINTER SPECTACULAR WEST PALM BEACH ANTIQUES FESTIVAL.

Florida’s largest antique show with more than 1000 dealers hosts the Big Winter Spectacular on February 5-7, 2010.  An Early Buyer pass can be purchased to enter from 9-12 Friday mornings for $25 and is good all weekend.  Daily admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors.  Children under 16 are free.  Discount coupons for admissions are available in the newspapers and at http://www.wpbaf.com.

You will find everything from period furniture from the 1700’s to 1960’s modernism for sale.  Glass and jewelry repair will be onsite, while you wait and shop around your items can be fixed.  Browse and shop inside huge new air conditioned buildings, and outside more than 100 dealers set up in covered areas or tents.  Unlimited free parking, and food and drink concessions are available.

Hours are:
Friday, 2/5: noon to 5 pm

Saturday, 2/6 9 am to 5 pm

Sunday 2/7: 10 am to 4:30 pm

The Americraft Expo Center at the South Florida Fair is located at 9067 Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach.  From the Florida turnpike go west on Southern Boulevard for 1 ½ miles.  From I-95 go west on Southern Boulevard for 7 miles. 

For more information email info@wpbaf.com or call 941-697-7475.

HISTORIC HOMES AND MUSEUM TOUR IN STUART, FLORIDA TO BENEFIT STUART HERITAGE MUSEUM

The 21st annual tour of Martin County’s historic homes is Feb. 13, according to Chris Sawicki, executive director of Stuart Heritage Museum.  Six residences and a museum are included in the tour, most built before 1940 or having historic significance or in a historic area.   The local historian and volunteers research and compile histories of the homes on the tour. 500 participants are expected.

The Museum building style is known as "Florida Frame Vernacular". This style usually featured a false frame front and most were constructed from Dade pine. Other types of architecture seen in Stuart & Martin County include Mediterranean and the Bungalow style house.  A great deal of what you see in the Museum has been donated by members of the pioneer (and today's) local families. Many artifacts are on display.  The Museum is dedicated to the early pioneers, telling their story of growing pineapples and of harvesting fish, life during the good years, "the boom" years and the difficult depression. " 

Homes on the tour will range from an early 1920 cottage named Bigenuf and sometimes rented out, to the home of a Judge who served in the Union Army, was on the Kansas Supreme court, and participated in the incorporation of Stuart.

To a Tudor Revival home built prior to 1928 which has a particularly pretty queen crape myrtle in the yard, to a semi-Colonial-style home built in 1937 which has a gazebo built about 1975, 6 rooms plus bathroom, double garage and porch which was later enclosed.

To a 1925 Mediterranean-style home built by a nephew of Andrew Carnegie who demolished the first home he built on the site in 1923 and was remodeled by the current owners in 1995 but still has the original oak floors, pecky cypress beams and 18” thick walls. The Mizner-style estate runs from river to river and includes a barn water tower, artesian pool, bathhouse and quarters for guests and caretakers.

The tour will end at the Stuart Feed Store within the Museum.  The general store was built in 1901, a wood-frame building with false front and gabled tin roof.  Tour will be held Saturday, February 13^th from 10 am to 4 pm.  This will be a self-guided tour with maps available when you buy tickets.  The funds are used for the benefit of the museum.  Tickets can be purchased at the Stuart Feed Store in the Stuart Heritage Museum, 161 SW Flagler Avenue, Stuart, FL. and many other sites in the area.  For more information call the Stuart Heritage Museum at 772-220-4600.

ORIGINAL CIVIL WAR PICTURES

We are truly fortunate that so many of these have survived.  Probably a million wet plate photos were made during the civil war on glass plate.  

Popular during the war, they lost their appeal afterward and so many were sold for the glass.  Many were used in green houses.

Over the years the sun caused the images to disappear. 

 

These are pretty amazing considering 

they were taken up to 150 years ago.

700 YEAR OLD VILLAGE IN IRAN THRIVES

 Troglodyte village in IRAN  IS 700 years old.

In the north west of Iran at the foot of Mount Sahand in Kandovan, 

The villagers live in cave homes carved out from the volcanic rock. 

The age of some houses is more than 700 years.