September, temperatures are pleasant, colors start sneaking into the trees, annual flowers are past their prime, and we start to ask guests if they need some heat to take the chill out of the air. It’s the month that as innkeepers we are suddenly realizing all those projects that still need to get done before winter. Maintaining century old houses requires constant work . Warren has been giving the front of this old house a facelift. Over time the 196 year old windows need some tender loving care. The original glass was most likely made locally in the Bethany glass works, but sadly over the years panes have broken and some again need to be replaced. He has replaced panes, renewed the putty and carefully painted. Soon the bricks will receive a new coat of paint. Interestingly the brick is soft and needs to be kept painted. The story handed down through the years is that the bricks were made in England and brought to the young United States as ballast (weight to keep the ships upright) in trade ships. Old pictures show the brick as whitewashed. Now the exterior is an authentic Williamsburg gray. Shutters were added in the 1990’s and since the house is older than cameras, it is hard to know if that was an original look, but we like them now. The debate rages on whether or not to rebuild the porch across the front, an original structure to the house. Any opinions?
