Having lived in my hometown all my life you see many buildings being torn down through the years. It's actually a running joke among several of us that the older buildings either get torn down, they "accidentally" burn down, or they get turned into lawyer's offices.
Well earlier this week as I was headed into town I saw one of the historical buildings that I've always loved being torn down. I even at one time envisioned it as an antique shop because it just looked like one should be there. It had really big glass windows on the front (these would have made great displays windows). The problem was that there wasn't any place to park and it sat really high off the ground on stilts so I thought that it would need a lot of work to make sure it was secure underneath.
I called my mother to tell her that the building was being torn down and she said at one time we lived next door to this building (there was an apartment building on the corner next to it but it too was torn down). We would walk to this building and get hamburgers for 25 cents, she said they made really great burgers. She said the building was originally Gilcrease Electric.
Anyways getting back to the building, I decided to stop and see if anything was for sale. The older gentleman said of course, "it's all for sale". I bought several doors, the coolest being the front doors to the building and a really great vintage chair. I went back later in the week to buy more of the building, doors, windows, and shelves and a few free things he threw in. Here's the front of the building:
And here are just a few of my finds:
I just love buying pieces of history especially when they are from my town.
Today the Canton Texas Flea Market started and we found lots of great things, a whole truck load actually. I'll be sharing my finds with you soon. And, keep watching my blog because I have some exciting news to share with you. Friday is right around the corner.
I feel exactly the same way you do about owning pieces of history we are familiar with. I still have the old street sign on the street that I grew up as a kid. I remember them tearing them all down to be replaced. I got it for free. You have some killer stuff with great stories to tell. Thanks for the post, I love it.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Sue
Awesome Theresa!!! What a wonderful story about living next to the building and then being able to take pieces of its history home with you.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see all of your new finds and to hear your exciting news!
Have a beautiful weekend.
Sincerely,
Melinda
I love knowing the provenance of things I have. Gives them a realness (is that a word?) and a sense of being able to picture the people before me who touched them. Can you imagine the handprints on those doorknobs? Boggle the mind.
ReplyDeleteDeb
Wow, Theresa, that is cool on so many levels. I love that you got to preserve part of the history. I see that happening to so many little towns across Texas. It makes me so sad.
ReplyDeletePlus your finds look awesome! Glad you got a good haul at Canton also. I went garage saling today and it was pretty sad!
Betsy
I wish I would have seen you were in canton. I have a booth there in pavillion 2....Texas pickers!!
ReplyDeleteHaley
It's sad that they're tearing down those great old buildings in McKinney! That's so much the heart of McKinney's charm! Glad you were able to reclaim some of it!
ReplyDeleteI love this story, it really touches me to see another lover of the old sites in Huntsville. I too bought 8 doors and 12 windows from the building, along with the amazing huge green fan that was mounted in the ceiling, to keep the air mivung into the store. It was a burger joint at one time and the fan had a layer of gunk so thick, I had to take it to the car wash to half clean it. If you would like a window, they are at A Nitsch In Time Antique Mall. We are only asking $5.00 each. The Doors are going quickly, one us already being made into a desk with a layer if glass on top... too awesome. Thanks again for sharing such a wonderful story.
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