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I had a major discovery in the attic at the farmhouse. I had been in the attic before but didn’t pay much attention to the pile of additional insulation in the corner. There under the pile was a window, the gable window. It measure 4 1/4 feet tall by almost three feet wide. The round window is about 18 inches in diameter.

For a long time, when looking at the house, I had suspected that there had, at one time, been a window in the gable and perhaps hidden beneath the vinyl siding that the previous owner installed. In time the vinyl siding will be removed to expose the original clapboard.

Upon my discovery I shot down to the local plumbing supply that bears the same name of the original owner of the farm. I explained what I found to the gentleman and he became quite excited about it.

The house and farm was one of the most beautiful in the valley he explained. When his uncle sold it years ago the next owner had stripped away all the ornamentation, the brackets, millwork and grilles from the porch, the corbels and brackets under the eaves, removed the window from the gable, and he believes the new owner also stripped away the capitals of all the windows. After doing so the place was wrapped in vinyl siding. Everyone in the area was horrified.

His great great grandfather, as I understand, had built the house in 1823. The farm had stayed in the family, handing it down to the next in line from one generation to the next until his uncle who had sold it in the late 1980s to an “outsider”. The outsider covered it over- it wasn’t a matter of the clapboard being in bad shape it was a matter of not wanting to paint.

His family had always kept the exterior pristine - painting every few years - it was the jewel of the valley. The stone foundation in itself was pure art.

He directed me to one of his cousins who in turn directed me to a third cousin, Margaret. I explained who I was and how I came to call her - after having talked to Robert at the plumbing supply, and other members of the family. I told her about the window and she was thrilled and then walked me back through time on the house and described in detail the ornamentation before it was wrapped in plastic”. She is the historian of the family.

I learned of the whole family tree. She said she is the keeper of the family photos and would go through all of them and pick out any that show the house interior and exterior. She said that there are quite a few and that she would make photo copies of any that show the house throughout the years. “they took such care for that place and it was always well painted and if the clapboard is still on it then is probably in great shape”.

I went back to the farm house and took a long hard look at the vinyl siding. I pried up a somewhat loose piece next to a front window off the parlor - just wanting to see what was underneath. Then I saw it. The original wood work and moldings around the window, intact. The clapboard adjoining gleamed white. I do fear though that the window sills have been hacked off to make way for the vinyl — I’ll be able to confirm that soon.

I inspected the posts on the porch more closely. Sure enough I can see where the brackets were attached.

I have also made a significant discovery on the inside in the main parlor will working on the ceiling but I’ll leave that to another post. I should have the old photos of the farm in its original state before Christmas, and yes the window will be cleaned up and returned to its rightful position.