Old Hickory - F. W. Knox Villa

      " A trip to the mountains".  That phrase meant something different when I was eight. Back then, I would be glancing at the clock from a   tiny desk, waiting for the hands to strike the number three. Now I illuminate my smart watch, waiting for 5:00 to stand out on the screen while rolling back in my chair.        Then there is the part that didn’t change. I carry my bags out to the car and buckle my seat belt. I begin chatting about my day to help eat away at the long drive that will take us from highways to an overly bumpy dirt road. After hours in the car, I stretch my legs and breathe in the refreshing air. The apple trees are still there, maybe a little more gnarled and not bent in quite the same position. I found myself surrounded by green, my favorite color, which quickly disappears as the sun sets, giving way to an unbelievably dark and sparkling sky. It’s like nothing has changed, but that is not the truth.       ...

     I have    recently gotten a lot of inquiries into our completion date for the house. This is a question that I always avoid answering. I know a lot of it simply stems from curiosity but I also feel like a small portion of it stems from doubt in us ever being able to complete such a task. I’ll be honest with you, we don’t have a completion date and the house will never be finished. This isn’t a term paper that we will submit. It’s more like a pet that we will need to care for throughout its lifespan. I guess you might not even call it a project then, you would call it a commitment. As long as we are successful with our care, one day someone else will begin the continuous task of caring for the house because it will still need someone to help it along once we are gone. The house was listed in the local newspaper as completed in May of 1880. That wasn’t really true, in that instant the paint was already starting to wear away and the shingles beginning to age. ...

I'm sure you've heard plenty of whispers around the little town that the big old house is haunted. People have seen faces peeking out from behind the partially boarded windows. They haven't been inside but I'm sure some would say with certainty that there is a constant presence inside the seemingly lifeless house. I have been inside and I must say that I agree. A chilly breeze causes me to hastily close up my jacket. Dust drifting down from the rafters falls upon my head, creating gray streaks in my hair. I roam from floor to floor trying to trace footsteps that suddenly disappear. It seems that I am always searching for something. I examine the floorboards, check around the fireplaces whose blazes died out years ago, sweep away cobwebs to see what the spiders have been hiding. I stare out the windows looking for clues. To be honest with you, I have no idea what I have been looking for but know with certainty that I will find it, even if it takes an eternity. Dur...

I’ve had a tough time deciding where to start in sharing the story of the house. I’ve decided to start with the part that involves me. I’m not from the small town of Coudersport, Pa. However, I had been making trips here my entire life. My family has a cabin in the nearby mountains. We would frequently stop in town on weekends to grocery shop or grab a pizza. I always loved looking at the houses when we drove through. However there was one house in particular that I loved to dream about. In my mind I had already enjoyed countless Thanksgiving dinners at the long dining room table I would purchase for it. I really wanted that house which led to one of my favorite hobby’s...checking the local real estate postings. I looked for years hoping it would become available. Then two summers ago I was walking around town enjoying a bag of popcorn from the movie theater when I saw a for sale sign. I looked at the house in front of me and it was bathed in a beautiful light as the sun slowly began t...