Great ways to hit the road and find historic homes on the way

A friend of mine is like me, a devotee of historic homes, AND an avid traveler. She’s heading to Washington, D.C. in a few weeks and she asked me if there were any historic homes she should to see there. What a great question! I’d never thought of looking at taking my obsession on the…

Learn how to uncover history

Have you ever wondered about the history of your home, neighborhood or one you drive by or see often? Here’s your chance to learn how to uncover the history all around you. Deb Sheals, an architectural historian and historic preservation consultant will be giving a free talk at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18, 2013…

Take a historic tour of Columbia’s highlights

There’s no time limit on taking this historic tour. Here’s a link to a PowerPoint presentation that basically offers a tour of Columbia’s historic highlights. This presentation was presented by Deb Sheals, a historic preservation consultant, in May 2011 at a public meeting of the Columbia Historic Preservation Commission. I love taking these kinds of…

Four easy ways to help shape history

Shaping history comes in, well, all shapes and sizes. Here are four ways to help shape Columbia’s history. 1. A Saturday, June 1, 2013 concert will let you hear history — and help to preserve and discover it. A second J.W. “Blind” Boone piano has been discovered. Boone was a classical and ragtime musician who…

How to see inside the Spanish-revival home at 2 E. Stewart Road

I admit it, I love Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com, because these real estate apps let me peek inside houses that fascinate me. For years, I’ve admired the house at the corner of Stewart and Garth, with its deep red details, creamy Spanish-revival exterior and have often wondered what’s inside. Well, this link to a Zillow…

Uncovering the history of the fairy tale cottage at 121 West Boulevard North

History is messy. That’s why writing this piece, The Hansel and Gretel House, about the quaint cottage at 121 West Blvd., North, published in Missouri Life, was so much fun. But what unusual things have you uncovered via historic homes? Here’s what I recently learned about one house in Columbia, Missouri. Often called the Fairy…

716 W. Broadway – Peek Inside

Formerly the Taylor House Inn, a bed and breakfast, the home at 716 W. Broadway is for sale and here’s an online peek inside. The pictures are poor and only give you a small view of what’s inside this 1909, but it’s nice to get a look inside this seven bedroom, five bath house. The…

Tentative Agreement to Save the Niedermeyer

This news item from KOMU states that the Niedermeyer Apartments may be saved from demolition by an agreement with a private buyer. The news report is dated March 12, 2013, 12:30 p.m. The report outlines the history of the Niedermeyer Apartments on Cherry Street: 1837 – Built by Gen. Richard and Ann Hawkins Gentry. Home…