The Danger of Wondering
I am focused on getting the house ready for the day-after Thanksgiving dinner.
To this end it was necessary to clean out the main pantry. Easy!
I also needed a bit of counter to put a microwave. Thus, I cleaned the pantry counter and then wondered…
Oh dear. Wondering is ALWAYS bad when it comes to an old house.
The counter was covered with contact paper. What, I wondered, was under the paper? So I glopped on paint stripper.
An hour later the contact paper came RIGHT off, revealing ANOTHER contact paper under. Green contact paper. And under that was several layers of paint.
And under all that was wood. But was the wood stained and varnished originally? Or was it painted? I am uncertain.
Although NOT part of my plans for the day I am happy to begin exploring what the pantry looked like originally. I plan to carefully and accurately restore the pantry and, when finished, it should look like one has stepped back in time.
Save the microwave.
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I am always elated when the past is peeled back and reveals what’s underneath. There’s a certain beauty to the whole process, as well as the end result. I cannot wait for the process, and the day the pantry is restored.
How wonderful to have that wood top. I betcha it was used to knead dough & roll out pie crust haha!
Wonderful progress with readying Cross House for entertaining!
What great fun!
Can’t wait to see all the latest past few months finishing touches on the north facade & the updates to the west in person!
Barb Sanford I want to see you! Going to be moseying about on Emporia Thanksgiving eve & staying in Emporia to rest up for the post Thanksgiving Friday Fete! Then staying Friday night & back to KC on Saturday prob afternoon:-) & back to MN prob Sun eve:-) let me know if around anytime those few days & otherwise another time 🙂
Sandra: I’ll be in my Nebraska home base that week, as my husband works on Thanksgiving day. I won’t be traveling to Emporia for Thanksgiving festivities this year, so I’ll miss seeing you at Ross’ gathering. It looks like it will have to be another time. I’m disappointed, because it would be delightful to meet you.
Thx 4 the heads up– will see u another time! Hv a happy Thanksgiving!
And you, too!
I doubt it was painted, could likely have been left unfinished and rubbed with oil as wooden countertops often are today.
Unpainted. Ms. Susan, being the epitome of the modern Victorian, would have had the very latest in “sanitary” upgrades to her new home. Note the zinc lined icebox. Paint or varnish flaked,getting into food, so she would have had maple or oak countertops in the pantry. Pine would have exuded pitch when new, so that would have been dirty. The Victorians were very concerned about cleanliness and sanitation, after the discoveries of Pasteur and Schwimmer. Germs were the latest concern after it was discovered that they caused disease. So everything was either painted or left unvarnished in the kitchen.
Here’s something that I found that might be interesting to you. http://starcraftcustombuilders.com/Architectural.Styles.VictorianKitchen.htm#.Wg7h6nlrzIU
Ross, I have been following ur blog faithfully, and am wondering what the kitchen looks like. I think I read that it had been gutted, but my curiosity is getting the best of me. Could u post some pictures of the kitchen, please?
Hi, Patty!
I did a post on the kitchen.
Thanks, loved it!
So when you nuke that can of worms, do you put them into a bowl first, or just throw the can in the microwave and let ‘er rip?
I finally read my way through the whole story thus far. Such fun (Easy for me to say. I wasn’t doing any of the work.) and beauty. The diamond-paned window above the counter reminds me very much of the window in the carriage house with chopped off diamonds on one side. Could that window have been taken from somewhere else and rotated 90 degrees? The chopped off diamonds would look much less odd at the top or bottom. Are you missing any windows in the pantry like you were missing doors?