Unintentional Time Capsule

The newel post at the top of the stairs was loose.  The railing was missing at least 4 spindles.  The ones that were left had been duct taped because they were broken.  Then the tape was painted green. 

 

There was nothing worth saving about this railing.  Walt Kowalski reminds me all the time that we are not restoring, we are renovating.  We're not like the crazy lady on TV. 

 



 

Once Walt Kowalksi cut off the newel post (I had to look up how to spell newel) all kinds of junk poured out.

 

At first we thought a mouse had made a home inside, but upon closer inspection...

 

 
it was the original owners.  An unintentional time capsule, of sorts.

 
Lots of candy and gum wrappers.  A football schedule.  A tag from clothes from G. C. Murphy's.

 
Marbles, pennies, and an eye patch.  (ARGH!)

 
A hospital pass.  A Sunday pass that is.  Only two persons on Sunday between 3pm and 4pm. 

 

 

The items were in good condition, so a rodent didn't put them here.  We think the finial must have been loose and the kids were putting things in when mom wasn't looking.  Or when mom was in the hospital.

 

(What was happening on May 10, 1942?  The middle of World War II.) 

 

 

On the walls up to the attic was the last remaining lath in the house.  The beams for the rafters from the left side of the house and the right side of the house meet right in this area.  Walt Kowalski wanted a better support wall for the attic and roof.   



 

 

Once we had a temporary support wall built, then we could work on removing the lath and old wall.

Mess, mess, and more mess.  There was so much dust floating in the air that the flash on my camera reflected on it and made it look like snow. 

Laser beams.

The attic steps also don't have any support in the middle.  The steps to the attic aren't true steps.  They are only 1/2 inch thick boards nailed together and there is not support under them.  The 2x4 board you see in the middle of the steps was only placed there to have something to nail the lath.  As you go up the attic steps, the steps bow in the middle and the top two steps are broken.  Right now, nothing is safe about them. 

Removing the wall really made the landing of the second floor open, but it wasn't safe.  Knowing me, I would be the first to accidentally fall down the stairs. 

Our plan is to build a half wall where the railing used to be.  It will give it support, but still make it feel open.

See that temporary wall just behind the silver ladder?  We plan to move that wall slightly to the left and make it permanent creating a small hall to the third bedroom.

The new support wall.