The Cross House

The exterior window sills of the Cross House are comprised of two parts. The lower part is 1-1/2-inches thick. This is normal. But the Cross House has an upper section which is 1-inch thick. This is unusual. Most of the sills in the house are in excellent condition, which is amazing after 126 years. But…some…

                I hope to have the wall up this month which will make a huge difference in imagining the room.    

When I purchased the 1894 Cross House in 2014 I knew it originally had gas lighting. A year went by before I realized that it actually had gas/electric combination lighting. Well, how cool is that! This was quite amazing for a small town in Kansas as electricity was new, and the White House was only…

So, y’all remember the great drama over the oak bedroom set I purchased last month? I received a $1200 quote for shipping. Well…no way! The seller got another quote for me, after I suggested that I could meet the shipper in St. Louis, about 6 hours from me. So, this quote was $450. Much better….

    In 1929, it appears that the door was removed and the wall plastered over, as the toilet room and adjacent closet became a full bathroom for the new studio apartment in the former Sewing Room. I have recreated the lost closet to the Sewing Room. The original toilet room will be a utility…

  This small move is part of the rewiring of the second floor. So far, the Round Room is done, the Octagon Room, Sewing Room, original 1894 bath, housekeepers room, and servant’s hallway. All that remains is the Long Room!    

      All the while, my indispensable tool makes all this manageable: Audible books. For months now I have been listening to a long series: The Amelia Peabody Series, by the late Elizabeth Peters. From Wiki: The Amelia Peabody series is a series of twenty historical mystery novels and one non-fiction companion volume written by Egyptologist Barbara Mertz (1927-2013) under the pen…

  I dropped off the four stained-glass windows from the parlor. These are—drum roll, please—the last to be restored! Incredible! When they are done, all 42 stained-glass windows will have been restored, and one window that went missing will have been recreated. All this work has been funded by two Heritage Trust grants. Thank you,…

  With climate change, it was 56-degrees today. In Kansas. In February. On the bright side, I was able to (scroll way down)…                                        

  The frames are fabulous. They need some repair work, mostly along the bottom, but this seems kinda easy. The actual portraits though give me the creeps. I plan to hang the frames in the Airbnb suite. I will keep the historic portraits in situ, and lay over them new images. Like two from this…

Over the last 126-years, the doors of the Cross House have been playing musical chairs. Many doors have bounced from location to location and it has been an interesting challenge trying to ascertain where each door originally was. Some doors even went AWOL. Some have since returned to the house. If I am correct, at…

  I knew the set I wanted. My friend in Wichita had it in his parlor. Every time I visited I lusted after his set. “Please, please let me have this set!” My begging fell on deaf ears. Carl is, obviously, quite cruel. However, Carl just sold his house. He no longer needed the set….

  The plan shows a door between the Round Bedroom dressing room and bedroom. This was not installed; rather, a portière was. However, there WAS a door installed between the dressing room and closet. In 1929, the second floor of the house was converted into five studio apartments by Scott Mouse, Sr. The dressing room…

      Set #2 was much more affordable, and within driving distance. But, I wasn’t in love. I was in like. Plus, the seller of Set #2 never got back with me. This contrasted with the seller of Set #1, who was very good about responding. She also reduced her price a bit, and…