Tag: restoration

High Knob House, 1620 High Knob Lane, Blacksburg, Va.

~ Karen J Rieley, M.A. ~ Leave a comment
High Knob
High Knob

Currie also designed the house at 1620 High Knob Lane in 1962 for James Adger Smyth Johnson and his first wife, Elizabeth Jenkins Johnson.

The house is a mid-century modern classic sitting on 66 private acres on High Knob along Cedar Run Road off of Ellett Road and adjoining the town limits of Blacksburg, Virginia. It overlooks the Ellett Valley in Montgomery County, Virginia. Nearly 64 acres of the 66 are forested.

The house is 4,800 SF with a large main level deck and matching patio below and expansive windows throughout. In addition to master suites on both levels with direct access to the balcony or patio, there are two more bedrooms and four full and one half baths. The interior features rare wormy chestnut paneling, random-width pegged hardwood flooring and four fireplaces built of bricks from original Virginia Tech faculty houses built in 1893 – 1894 along a lane in the vicinity of today’s Pamplin Hall, Burruss Hall, and Norris Hall on what was then called Faculty Row. The exterior is brick and wood siding with a new metal roof that replaced the original cedar shake shingled roof. An in-ground pool is also on the property.

Johnson retired as vice chairman and a director of Union Carbide Corporation. A graduate of Virginia Tech, he began his career with the National Carbide Division of Union Carbide in Cleveland, Ohio. He served as general manager of the Eveready Battery Company in Shanghai, China, during the 1930s. Following his return to the United States he held a variety of senior management positions with Union Carbide prior to be being appointed vice chairman in 1967. Johnson, who died in 1999 at the age of 91, was a former member of the Board of Visitors of Virginia Tech.

PRESERVATION THOUGHTS

Courtesy of Marc Brodsky, public services and reference archivist, Virginia Tech’s Special Collections in Newman Library, Currie’s drawings of High Knob House show a wooden bridge made of 2” x 4” wood deck (on edge) and handrail bolted to the inside of posts that leads to the front door. In addition the plan includes a covered walk with a built-up roof above and brick paving in a herringbone pattern in 2” sand over 4” of gravel.

Current photos of the house, however, show no bridge or covered walkway and, in fact, it appears that the land leading up to the front door of the house is infill. If it is not infill, then perhaps the house was sited on the property differently than Currie intended.

Currie’s plan also shows a carport to the left and 8’ in front of the house that includes storage units on both interior side walls. There is a 2” X 4” wood deck bridge from the back of the carport that leads to the house with two doors into the house – one on the side that leads into the “Servant’s Room” and a second entrance into the kitchen.

Between the bridge from the carport and the bridge to the front door was supposed to be a 11’-2” deep by 18’-8” wooden deck outside sliding glass doors that lead into the dining room. Current photos show no carport and the wooden deck is now a concrete patio that sits directly on the ground.

This changes the entire elevation of the front of the house is several significant ways. Currie clearly planned a more dramatic entrance to the house. Currently, what was supposed to be at least a story and a half front is now one-story. In fact, the house as Currie planned it was supposed to be a full 9’ out of the ground on the left. The deck outside of the dining room was supposed to be about 4’ above ground under the deck outside of the dining room, and the wooden bridge to the front door about 3’ above ground. The wooden deck outside the dining room connected directly to the wooden bridge from the carport to the Servant’s Room and kitchen, which made servicing people using the deck more practical. There is no direct connection now. A concrete walk leads part of the way up to the front door, and stones have been placed to imply a walkway from the sidewalk to the concrete patio.

Another major change to the exterior of the house is that a red metal roof has replaced the cedar shake shingles that Currie planned.

Day Tripping in Palatka – The Gem of the St. Johns

~ Karen J Rieley, M.A. ~ 2 Comments

Back in our early days living in Florida, my husband and I took a few big trips but, more often, enjoyed spontaneously leaving town for the weekend – even just a two-day weekend. We tried out a number of bed-and-breakfast inns in St. Augustine, Cedar Key and Micanopy, Florida, and Americus and Brunswick, Georgia, for example. We enjoyed exploring these towns specifically because they held true to their origins, the real land and people, rather than the illusions of opulence, sensory experiences and never ending excitement that developers have created – the elite, exclusive coastal resorts; the sights, sounds and libations of nightclubs; and the illusions of the many entertainment parks. Admittedly, we have partaken of all those experiences, too, but my best memories of Florida are the authentic ones.

We let this Fourth of July sneak up on us. I turned my focus from crazy-busy work stuff long enough to ask for July 3 off, but never got around to planning anything for us to do. This past Wednesday, I looked up from my computer and realized that I needed to come up with something or else we would just sit around wasting four perfectly good days better spent enjoying being with each other and experiencing something other than the stress of work obligations.

It was probably too late to try to make overnight plans, plus I wasn’t sure that I wanted to go to the trouble of packing, driving many miles and then adjusting to a hotel room (all activities that become less and less appealing the older I get, I confess). So, I recalled our fun, spontaneous weekend trips and googled “places to visit in northeast Florida.” The Northeast Florida Backroads Travel Guide website came up near the top of the list and sounded intriguing, so I decided to check it for day trips. Of the nine northeast Florida towns listed, Crescent City and Palatka were the two of which I was the least familiar. I don’t think I’ve ever visited Crescent City, so that’s a trip for another day perhaps.

Palatka is one of those small Florida cities that I’ve driven through many times without stopping and barely even noticed except for the speed limit signs which are notoriously important to observe, as small-town cops use ticketing to acquire much-needed town revenue. It is nestled in a bend on the St. Johns  River and was a major port for many years because initially it was the southernmost port for transporting trade items and eventually people, as well, until Henry Flagler expanded railroad tracks further south. Once known as “The Gem of the St. Johns River” with hotel accommodations for 6,000, a devastating fire and hard freeze caused a major decline in the area’s visitation and industry.

According to the Putnam Historical Society website, “Palatka” is a contraction of an Indian word meaning “cow crossing” or “cow ford.” The original was some variation of “Pilaklikaha” or “Pilotaikita.” Originally spelled “PIlatka,” the City Charter, approved on January 8, 1853, had the name spelled “PAlatka,” sparking a debate as to the “correct” spelling which would last another twenty-two years until the U.S. Post Office officially changed the spelling to “Palatka” on May 24, 1875, to avoid confusing its name with the town of “Picolata.”

Turns out that the first Sunday each month is a special day in Palatka. Every historical place is open to the public. Among the top 10 places to visit, the Bronson-Mulholland House caught my eye because I love history stories and restoration. I checked out the house’s official website and learned that, while you can drive up to the house and explore the grounds, you can only tour the house on Saturdays, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., and Sundays, 1-4 p.m. Tours need to be scheduled 72 hours in advance, so that a tour guide can be arranged to take you through the house. I came in just under the wire in making a reservation for 1 p.m., today, Sunday.

We had time to eat brunch before the tour, so I researched good places to eat in Palatka and discovered several. Most feature seafood and fish, which makes perfect sense given Palatka’s location along the St. Johns River – Corky Bell’s Seafood and Musselwhite’s Seafood & Grill received good reviews when I goggled “best places to eat in Palatka, Florida.” Angel’s Diner got good reviews for its hamburgers. But, Magnolia Cafe intrigued me the most, because it seemed to feature a creative brunch menu and had great review comments.

We arrived shortly after the cafe opened at 11 a.m. Located in the middle of downtown Palatka at 705 St. Johns Avenue, the cafe is modestly decorated and has the aura of a comfortable, small-town eatery that everyone knows about, frequents and loves. It is brightly lit mostly by sunlight from the large front windows and the waiters are friendly and attentive. I decided to order the Steak and Egg Benedict with a side salad and my husband ordered the Eggs Florentine Benedict and Cheese Grits. Our eggs benedict were delightful – perfectly puffy poached eggs with beautiful yellow yolks that ran, but didn’t gush, when cut. My husband said his cheese grits were well seasoned and I enjoyed my steak.

I started with a hot cup of coffee and, while my meal was very good, the coffee might have been the star of the meal. Magnolia Cafe is committed to serving organic food, including organic coffee. It serves and sells Sweetwater organic coffee, ground and whole beans, and it is delicious. I was served a tall, narrow mug of steaming coffee with real cream and enjoyed not one, but two, cups. And, I bought one bag each of Dark French Roast from Honduras, Sumatra and Ethiopia and Full City Roast from Peru and Colombia. The coffe is artisan roasted and fairly traded, as a member of the Fair Trade Federation.

After brunch, we had about 45 minutes before our tour started at the Bronson-Mulholland House, so we drove around Palatka checking out the sights. Palatka bills itself as the City of Murals, so the drive was an artistic experience. The Conlee-Snyder Mural Committee is in charge of the larger-than-life murals painted onto the walls of buildings downtown to accurately depict the historical, cultural, and natural riches of Palatka and Putnam County. You can learn about the murals and get a map of their locations on the Conley-Snyder Mural Committee website.

The tour of the Bronson-Mulholland House was free (although donations are much appreciated). Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, interesting, thorough and obviously passionate about sharing history. He took us through the house giving us a history tour of the home’s six eras: Bronson Era, 1854-60; Civil War Era, 1861-65; White Era, 1865-1904; Mulholland Era, 1904-45; Post War Era, 1945-1977; and Restoration Era, 1977-Present. In its early years, the home was the largest in northeast Florida, perhaps even north Florida. It was continuously owned until 1977, when the town government took it over to prevent its further decline and restore it. A government restoration grant helped make the restoration possible. The home has not been restored further since then, and Palatka is seeking another grant to do necessary repairs.

As we prepared to leave Palatka in mid-afternoon, we decided to find Ravine State Gardens and see what was there with the idea that we might want to bookmark it for a return trip in cooler weather. We both grew up in the cool, high mountains of Virginia and the hot, humid Florida summers don’t entice us to take the long walks and hikes that we generally love.

We paid the $5/car admission fee and discovered that a 1.8 mile scenic driveway borders the 70-120 feet deep ravine for which the park is named. In 1933, the ravine was transformed into a dramatic garden by the federal Works Progress Administration. Some of the original landscaping still exists as formal gardens and a unique system of trails. A 64 foot tall obelisk, dedicated to Franklin D Roosevelt, is located near the park entrance. We noted fieldstone terraces, rock gardens, picnic tables including grills, an amphitheater and a suspension bridge, all worthwhile reasons to return again sometime between January and April, peak time for all of the blooming plants and temperate weather, for a picnic and some hiking. Visit http://www.floridastatepark.org for more information.

All in all, it was a perfect Florida day. As we drove back home to Jacksonville, I found myself recalling three of my favorite female Florida authors whose works have captured the real Florida that I love – Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Zora Neale Hurston and Connie May Fowler. Another good way to tamp down work stress – read or re-read more by these authors!

Later this evening, my husband and I reflected on how nice the day had been, and he announced that he’d like our next day trip to be a return visit to Micanopy and Cross Creek. We had stayed in the Herlong Mansion many years ago and explored Micanopy but didn’t spend much time in Cross Creek, where Kinnan Rawlings had a homestead in which she lived and wrote. His comment was a perfect ending to the day, as it reminded us that rediscovering places, people and memories can be as exciting as new adventures.

Jacksonville’s Fire Station No. 3 reborn again

~ Karen J Rieley, M.A. ~ Leave a comment

January 2015 First Coast Magazine

My most recently published writing may be found in the January 2015 issue of First Coast Magazine. This relatively new magazine is beautifully designed and always features interesting information about the northeast Florida community. I’m so excited to have been asked to write for the publication.

You can also read the story here:

Like the fabled phoenix in Egyptian mythology that was consumed by fire, only later to rise renewed from its ashes, Fire Station No.3 has been reborn – and more than once. It originally opened in 1886 on East Bay Street in downtown Jacksonville and was rebuilt after burning nearly to the ground in Jacksonville’s Great Fire of 1901. The station, which now houses the Jacksonville Fire Museum at 1406 Gator Bowl Blvd., in Metropolitan Park, is a tribute to Jacksonville’s trials by fire.

When it opened in 1886, it was known as the Duval Hose Company, the city’s only African-American company, that remained so until 1906. The company eventually became part of Fire Station No.3. All that remained of the station after the Great Fire was the east wall of the station. The station’s horse-drawn fire truck was destroyed as well.

Bricks salvaged from buildings destroyed by the fire were used to rebuild the north, south and west walls of the new firehouse that was built at 12 Catherine Street. Ten months after the Great Fire, the new Fire Station 3 was opened. A new 1902 LaFrance Steam Engine arrived to replace the horse-drawn one. That has been restored, and sits gleaming in the Jacksonville Fire Museum.

Station No.3 remained a working fire station until 1920, when the Jacksonville Fire Department shop facilities moved in and remained until 1952. From 1952-73, the station was used only as a storage facility for the Jacksonville Fire Department.

Jacksonville Fire Lieutenant Paul Galloway and Engineer Wayne Doolittle, with the assistance of the Jacksonville Historical and Cultural Conservation Commission and the Jacksonville Mayor’s Office, successfully got Fire Station No.3 placed on the National Registry of Historical Monuments in 1973.

According to curator Wyatt Taylor, the building became a museum in 1982 and was moved to its current location in 1994. The exterior of the building is a testament to its history, with the east wall a different shade of brick from the other walls, standing strong as a link to our founding firehouses.

The building looks forward to yet another rebirth. Funds are needed to address structural issues and for the museum’s operation costs.

“The museum was originally run by firefighters to honor firefighters,” Wyatt says. “Now we want to turn it into a functioning museum that has the ability to document and care properly for the items it continues to collect to educate future generations about Jacksonville’s firefighters.”

For more information on how you can get involved visit the Jacksonville Fire Museum.

firehouse