Westernville, NY
This is the story of a home inherited by me, Tari. This is the home I knew as a child as my grandparents' home although it has been through some changes since it belonged to them.
My grandmother's father, Lambert Risley, had this house built in 1903. My grandmother, Mabel May Risley Baker eventually owned this house. The house was left in her name alone. Women did not own property in her time so this was very forward thinking. My grandmother always wanted this home to be in the hands of the women in the family and when she died in 1974, the home was left to my mother. My parents moved into the house and did some major remodeling. My grandmother never had a stove other than her old wood burning stove in her kitchen. When my parents remodeled they tore down the old woodshed behind the house as well as the old pantry and put in a more modern kitchen as well as a new bathroom, master bedroom and family room in its place. The bricks used to make the fireplace in the new family room were taken from the Fort Stanwix Hotel which was torn down when the Fort was rebuilt.
When my mother, Beverly Baker Tibbits, died in 1989 the house was left to my father, Henry Tibbits. He lived there until he remarried and then he split his time between Westernville and Atlanta, GA where his new wife, Linda Smith, lived. When his health began to fail, he remained in Atlanta full time. He allowed a niece of mine, along with her boyfriend and son, to live in the house for 4 years until his death in 2008 at which time the house became mine which is what my grandmother always wanted. The house was in pretty bad shape and this site is my way of chronicling the changes that have happened since it became mine. The wiring in the kitchen no longer worked and there were extension cords going to the family room to apparently provide power for the refrigerator. The drains under the kitchen sink had come apart and water had just been allowed to run freely into the basement which was flooded when we took possession. Windows had rotted around the sills and in one window a tree branch had been allowed to grow right through the window. Trash was everywhere in the house. We rented a 40 cu.yd. trash container and got to work getting rid of all of the mess that had been left. The trash container was bulging at the sides.
The following pictures were taken after my niece moved out when I inherited it and before we started to clean the house and fix it up so it would be livable once again and also pictures of the progress as we work on it.
Front Dining/Living Room
The room as we found it when we took possession after my niece had moved out.
This is the same view of the room as above after we cleaned it up and put in a new floor.
This shows the same room after walls were torn out to add insulation and rewire the ceiling for the lights. Wiring was also extended to the front porch for lights at this time.
The doors which separated the living room from the formal parlor have been put back in place.
This shows the detail painted around one of the lights in this room. Both lights hanging in this room have the same detail.
Formal Front Parlor
These pictures are before and after we did some cleaning. The portrait is of my grandmother. Nothing has been done to this room yet other than cleaning.
This shows the new color the room has been painted after getting new walls and windows. It also shows the crown molding that has been added to the room.
An upstairs bedroom that was once my Uncle Max's bedroom
This is the upstairs room that used to my Uncle Max's bedroom when he was a child as it looked when I took possession.
This is the same view of this room as the second picture while we remodel to add a bathroom.
Progress being made. I have a mosaic tile to go above the vanity and an antique mirror and lighting still needs to go above the vanity as well.
A couple different views of the same room.
The vanity after the mosiac tile has been put on. The mirror hanging over the vanity is one that used to hang over my grandparent's dining room table.
Upstairs Hallway
Before and after all we did was clean and pick up.
The opposite end of the same hallway.
The hallway after we put in new windows and new walls to add insulation. No new flooring has been done yet. The door is off the room being converted to a bathroom. I have decided to use bright colorful paint in all the rooms.
Here is a view of the same hallway with the new flooring put in.
An upstairs bedroom
This bedroom was always used as a storage room when my grandmother lived there. Her things had been cleared out by my parents and this clutter had been left after that.
Obviously, my grandmother did not own a computer.
This is that room after getting a new floor, new walls, new windows and a new closet. The door in the rear of the second picture above is where the closet is now.
My Mother's old bedroom
Before work was done. This was my mother's bedroom as a child. This was the only room in the house that was in decent condition when I got it.
We did the existing hard wood floors over, new walls and new windows, and a new closet were added. The bedspread and curtains are new.
Master bedroom downstairs
This is the condition the master bedroom was left in when I inherited the house.
Another upstairs bedroom, formerly a guest room
Pictures taken before and after cleaning the room. Again, my grandmother's portrait hangs on the wall.
The bed is one that I bought at a local antique show as the original bed had been sold.
The same room showing the new color.
After all the cleaning, my husband, Karl, rewired the kitchen so there was power there again. He also rewired much of the rest of the house and put in a new electric service box. He fixed the plumbing under the sink and we cleaned up where the basement has flooded as a result of the pipes being separated. We had concrete poured in the front part of the basement under the old part of the house which also helped to dry it out. All windows in the house have now been replaced. We left the wood floors in the old formal living room and my mother's old bedroom as they were in good shape, just needed refinishing. The rest of the old part of the house had to have the flooring all replaced. My parents had removed a wall and left the floor with the old flooring and a gap where the wall had been. It all needed to be done over to make it look like it was all one room. There is now Pergo on the floors in the front room which at one time was separate from the dining room. All rooms have new walls allowing for us to put in insulation which was fairly non-existant. All upstairs bedrooms have new closets allowing for much more usable space.
We found a lovely old hanging light in the garage which was once a carriage house that we had re-plated with brass and restored. It now hangs in the dining room.
Other hanging lights were taken down and rewired for safety.
There were many antiques taken out of the old carriage house that we intend to restore. It will be a long process and I will update this as we go along. Following are some additional pictures of the house as it progresses.
This is the same wall as above. Notice the cabinet on the far left which has been replaced with one that goes to the floor as seen in the picture above this one. Also notice the hanging light which was replaced by the one shown above. This light still hangs in the house but at the other end of the same room The table and chairs had been used by my father but were put in the rafters of the old garage by my niece. It was in pieces but with some work we got it put back together.
We purchased a small table and two stools for the small dining area next to the kitchen. The flooring is all new, previously it was carpet.
We had to tear down the old garage which was once a carriage house. It was in pretty bad condition and we were afraid it would fall on someone.
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While doing this work, we found a piece of wood above the closet in what used to be my mother's bedroom that had been placed inside the wall by the original builder.
It reads:
Aug 14, 1903
Frank Warcup, carpenter, who built this house for Lambert Risley in the summer of 1903
______
Walter Crill with Thomas R. Rus, merchant of Westernville
______
53 days this summer of drouth
______
James A. Waldo, Supervisor of the Town of Western
This is an old picture of the house taken when my grandmother still lived there.