GROTON -- When Gov. George S. Boutwell built his home in 1851, a second-floor window looked out past the unpaved Main Street to the Worcester and Nashua Railroad.

Over the next few years, the town changed. A public library opened in 1854. Boutwell was on the committee.

The town kept modernizing, adding schools, municipal buildings, electricity, natural gas, water, pavement.

The Boutwell House remained in the family until 1933. As all homes do, it evolved with the times. The family added electrical service and plumbing. The paint, floor covering and wallpaper choices likely changed.

A heating system was added and the woodshed turned into closets.

That woodshed allowed the second owner, the Groton Historical Society, to install a handicap-accessible bathroom recently.

Restoring old homes is a "balance between conservation and what we need to live with," said Al Collins. The board member and licensed general contractor was the project manager of a years-long restoration.

The first improvements, while expensive and necessary to preserve the building, are not visible to the casual eye. Two grants awarded in 2011 allowed work to begin.

Town Meeting approved $179,000 from Community Preservation Act funds. The Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund provided another $79,000.

The society did all the work that bedevils owners of homes old and not-so-new. Roof work, including soffits and sheathing, came first. Leaks had damaged the interior.

A sprinkler system kept subcontractors going back to the drawing board time and again. The required pipes should not intrude in the period rooms, Collins said.

Getting it done was "really was a balance of subcontractors and myself," he said.

Pipes went through walls and closets, even into the attic to remain out of sight.

"It did work out fairly well," he said, which may be an understatement. A visitor would have to look hard for the new infrastructure.

Sprinkler pipes are in the entry hall, but heating pipes were already there. The heads blend in with wall coverings and paint.

A ramp to the side porch also helped bring the building into the future, he said.

The rest of the house was brought back to other times in the past. When restoring a building that has been in use for over 150 years, there are many time periods to include, said Kara Fossey, Groton History Center consultant.

Much of the restoration revolves around renovations the Boutwell family did around the turn of the century, Collins said. That was about the time the town got water and electricity.

Period carpet, paint and wallpaper provide a background for the society's collection. One original gas chandelier was retrofitted for electricity and other light fixtures from the same period were installed.

While cleaning the rear chimney, Collins found pieces of a Hub wood cooking stove. He tracked a Hub down in a farmhouse in New Hampshire and, restored, it takes the central place in the kitchen.

A set kettle for washing clothes was donated by homeowners in town. There was a space for it in the kitchen, but the original from the Boutwell House was no longer there.

Money for the second phase of the work, redoing the interior and painting the outside, was given by an anonymous donor.

Collins planned carefully, coming in just under budget.

The town got about $5,000 back from the CPA grant it made to the society.

Collins waited until most of the work was done before ordering new storm windows that will be paid for by the donation. If the project had ran out of money, those could be installed later, he said.

A free open house will be held Saturday, Aug. 19, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Boutwell House, 172 Main St. In addition to seeing the house, visitors can enjoy a display about the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson and Boutwell's role in the process.

Follow Anne O'Connor on Twitter @a1oconnor.

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Every room in Groton's Boutwell House a window on history - Lowell Sun

VIDEO: Hope Restoration project... Also...

KINSTON, Lenoir County - The Hope Restoration project, which started in 2016 by giving those having a hard time finding jobs a chance to work on home for those in need, has expanded exponentially sine then.

Last spring, the project had four homes slated for restoration. Now, they've restored 25, with more on the way.

Lawrence Wilson, who works for the project, said this job has been all about second chances.

"I started doing drugs, I didn't have a place to stay, they gave me a place to stay at the Flint home to live in a fellowship program, the same as the church," Wilson said.

Hope Restoration founder Chris Jenkins said stories like Wilson's are why he started the program in the first place.

"We are trying to give employment support to folks who really need and have a hard a time being hired elsewhere," he said.

It's been a life-changer for those that end up living in the homes, too, like Jeff Richardson, who was one of the first to get a Hope Restoration home last year.

"That's the American Dream - you raise your family, and you know you own a house and you know that is one of big goals you know to own a house," Richardson said.

Jenkins started buying and restoring old homes in low-income neighborhoods in 2014 as a way of healing after his son's death. The 17-year-old committed suicide after battling a substance abuse addiction.

He's hopeful that this project can provide more stability for families and jobs for those on the path to recovery as a means of combating substance abuse. The goal is to be able to get to 45 homes and make the program financially self-sufficient.

"The more in the neighborhood that own their home the better things are like crime rates and health rates and scholastic and performance and performance of their children," Jenkins said.

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Hope Restoration project changing lives on multiple fronts - WCTI12.com

Home Canning Tips From the Food Safety Blog A government blog recently published a number of tips for people interested in home canning this summer's produce. The blog lists vegetables with a low acid pHs that are not acidic enough to prevent the growth of botulinum bacteria. Some vegetables in this category include asparagus, green beans, [...]

Home Canning Tips From the Food Safety BlogA government blog recently published a number of tips for people interested in home canning this summer's produce. The blog lists vegetables with a low acid pHs that are not acidic enough to prevent the growth of botulinum bacteria. Some vegetables in this category include asparagus, green beans, and potatoes. The site also provides a list of medical conditions that individuals suffering from foodborne botulism exhibit. To learn more about home canning safety, click on https://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/2017/07/home-canning-and-botulism.html. I wonder if President Trump's budget provides funds for these types of blogs. Just saying.

Military Research Homes In On Vision and Hearing LossAccording to the website Armed with Science, a Defense Department science information site, DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, recently awarded five research grants to develop a high-resolution neural interface as well as to develop systems supporting sensory restoration. Sounds like Star Trek medicine to me. Brown and Columbia Universities as well as the University of California, Berkeley and two additional research facilities will focus on hearing and vision by linking these body functions with the brain to treat sensory loss. To learn more about this fascinating research project, surf over to http://science.dodlive.mil/2017/07/24/darpa-launches-program-that-could-one-day-treat-vision-hearing-loss/. The Pentagon supports this research as part of the Pentagon defense budget appropriation. Your federal taxes at work.

New Research Finds Rising and Shrinking Income Cities The website Wall St 24/7 recently published a list of 10 cities where personal incomes are shrinking the fastest. While some areas of the country are booming, cities such as Peoria, Ill. and New Bern, N. C. are now experiencing dropping personal incomes. The article mentions a number of causes for the decline. Drops in construction, as well as government payroll cutbacks, caused an average income drop of $1,000 in New Bern, N.C. The report also lists 10 cities where rising incomes are the norm. Merced, Calif., for example, experienced an income growth of 14.3 percent from 2008 to 2013. To learn more about income levels in these 20 cities, click on http://247wallst.com/special-report/2015/07/14/10-cities-where-incomes-are-growing-and-shrinking-the-fastest/2/.

Old Ironsides Restoration Nearly CompleteEvery school kid knows that the USS Constitution, a Revolutionary War vessel, is the oldest ship still commissioned in the U.S. Navy. The ship has now returned to its birth in Boston after a two-year restoration that included replacement of 100 hull planks with the required caulking as well as repair of the ship's rigging. To access a picture of the ship as well as the resulting account of the renovation, visit http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=101588. Some military hardware becomes icons for the nation. Any visit to Boston should include a visit to the Charlestown Navy Yard.

Cancer Patients With Inexpensive Health Plans May Be Denied Access To Top-Tier Cancer CentersConsumers who choose less expensive health insurance plans may forego access to top-tier physicians caused by a 'narrow network' health plan limitation. These 'narrow network' plans may systemically exclude treatments by NCI-affiliated physicians. This possible exclusion may adversely impact treatment of rare or difficult-to-treat cancers. To learn more about this health issue, click on https://medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_167327.html. Just so you know.

A New Book Tells The Story of The Library Card CatalogA Library of Congress employee recently published a book on the history of the card catalog. According to author Peter Devereaux, the card catalog proved to be one of the most versatile and durable technologies in history. Devereaux relates the story of S. N. Cramer, a Sumerian historian who found a piece of a cuniform tablet about 2 inches by 1 inches that served as a clay library index card. Cramer found the tablet near the ruins of Nippur and dated the tablet to 2000 BCE. For those contemporary students used to looking up references on a library computer, this book provides a picture of how earlier societies organized information. To read the interview, click on http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2017/07/inquiring-minds-the-unheralded-story-of-the-card-catalog/. And so it goes.

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Home Canning Tips; Researching Hearing, Sight Restoration ... - Wellsville Daily Reporter (blog)

BEAVER -- FirstEnergy Corp. has donated $10,000 to a local charity that provides food and home-repair services for military veterans and needy families.

Faith Restorations Inc., a Beaver-based charity, consists of volunteers who engage in home restoration and repair on homes owned by active-duty military members or veterans. The agency also provides a food pantry for needy families, as well as spiritual support for community members.

FirstEnergy officials said in a news release that the company recently donated $10,000 unsolicited to the company as part of its Christmas in July campaign. As part of that giving campaign, FirstEnergy distributed 12 monetary gifts to agencies within its service areas.

The company, which owns and operates the Beaver Valley Nuclear Power Station and the Bruce Mansfield Power Plant, usually donates to a local agency around Christmas, as well.

In a news release, FirstEnergy Foundation President Dee Lowery said the decision was made to make monetary donations in the summertime, to better support the good work these organizations do year round in our service areas.

Those chosen were selected by FirstEnergy employees, who identified organizations in their geographic location that do extraordinary work to make our communities a better place to live and work, Lowery said. Were very pleased to provide these surprise grants to support ongoing investment in the quality of life in our service areas.

The FirstEnergy Foundation annually provides support to nonprofit, tax-exempt health and human service agencies, educational organizations, arts and cultural programs, and civic groups.

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FirstEnergy donates $10000 to Beaver charity - Timesonline.com

MONESSEN A nonprofit organization is building a new house in Monessen to help to stabilize a nice neighborhood in a city that is overwhelmed with blight.

The Homestead-based Mon Valley Initiative had crews assembling a modular house in the 900 block of Graham Avenue last month in an area where residents take pride in their properties, said Jason Togyer, spokesman for the group.

We want to preserve that, Togyer said. Thats a decent neighborhood. Its one of the reasons why were in there.

Crews from Structural Modulars Inc. of Strattanville, Clarion County, and Disaster Restoration Services of Trafford, Allegheny County, began assembling the house July 24.

The three-bedroom, two-story house was constructed on a lot where a frame house was demolished because of underground coal mine subsidence. The void was stabilized by the state Department of Environmental Protection before a heavy crane was brought to the site to help assemble the house.

The final construction will be completed by local crews by the end of this month, weather permitting, said Rick Dunn, senior construction manager for the initiative.

Its going to blend with the other houses in the neighborhood, Togyer said.

The house was constructed with money from the Optional County Affordable Housing Funds Act of 1992, with the specific goal to help stabilize communities and keep people in their homes, he said.

Its going to be a very nice house, Togyer said. We expect the house to sell for about $80,000 to $90,000.

The new owner will be expected to occupy the house.

For more information about this house or any home available for sale by the initiative, call Patrick Shattuck, real estate development and community outreach director, at 724-565-8040 or 412-464-4000.

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Mon Valley Initiative constructs new house in Monessen - Observer-Reporter

The former home of Miamis first black millionaire is falling apart but a local group is pushing for the restoration of the damaged building, which holds nearly 100 years of history.

The D.A. Dorsey House, located in Overtown, was owned by Dana Albert Dorsey, the son of former slaves who moved from South Georgia to Miami. Dorsey amassed a real estate empire, first owning Fisher Island then helping organize South Floridas first black bank and black-owned hotel.

"This is during a time that blacks weren't even allowed to share the same facilities- not just water fountains not just restaurants, hotels, but blacks were not even allowed to go to beaches," said Timothy A. Barber, executive director of the Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida, the group seeking to restore the historical landmark.

Although Dorseys former home now has a damaged roof and beat-up walls, it was considered a mansion in the early 1900s, Barber said. The Black Archives believe Dorseys story could inspire future generations, which is why the organization is seeking to turn the historical landmark into a museum.

The group received a $150,000 grant from the City of Miami to restore the home, but need more funds in order to transform the structure.

"I see this as a personal mission to see this rebuilt," said Patricia Jennings-Braynon, chairperson of Black Archives and the Historic Lyric Theatre Board. "Because of the Black Archives the lyric theater has put Overtown back on the map."

If you would like to help by donating to the Black Archives, you can visit them at the Historic Lyric Theatre or make a donation on the organizations GoFundMe page.

Published at 7:05 AM EDT on Aug 3, 2017 | Updated at 9:00 AM EDT on Aug 3, 2017

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Local Group Wants To Restore Former Home Of First African American Millionaire - NBC 6 South Florida

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Call us now on 0845 652 4111 or click here to Contact us.

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Home - Professional Natural Stone restoration Company In UK

Home Canning Tips From the Food Safety Blog A government blog recently published a number of tips for people interested in home canning this summer's produce. The blog lists vegetables with a low acid pHs that are not acidic enough to prevent the growth of botulinum bacteria. Some vegetables in this category include asparagus, green beans, [...]

Home Canning Tips From the Food Safety BlogA government blog recently published a number of tips for people interested in home canning this summer's produce. The blog lists vegetables with a low acid pHs that are not acidic enough to prevent the growth of botulinum bacteria. Some vegetables in this category include asparagus, green beans, and potatoes. The site also provides a list of medical conditions that individuals suffering from foodborne botulism exhibit. To learn more about home canning safety, click on https://www.foodsafety.gov/blog/2017/07/home-canning-and-botulism.html. I wonder if President Trump's budget provides funds for these types of blogs. Just saying.

Military Research Homes In On Vision and Hearing LossAccording to the website Armed with Science, a Defense Department science information site, DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, recently awarded five research grants to develop a high-resolution neural interface as well as to develop systems supporting sensory restoration. Sounds like Star Trek medicine to me. Brown and Columbia Universities as well as the University of California, Berkeley and two additional research facilities will focus on hearing and vision by linking these body functions with the brain to treat sensory loss. To learn more about this fascinating research project, surf over to http://science.dodlive.mil/2017/07/24/darpa-launches-program-that-could-one-day-treat-vision-hearing-loss/. The Pentagon supports this research as part of the Pentagon defense budget appropriation. Your federal taxes at work.

New Research Finds Rising and Shrinking Income Cities The website Wall St 24/7 recently published a list of 10 cities where personal incomes are shrinking the fastest. While some areas of the country are booming, cities such as Peoria, Ill. and New Bern, N. C. are now experiencing dropping personal incomes. The article mentions a number of causes for the decline. Drops in construction, as well as government payroll cutbacks, caused an average income drop of $1,000 in New Bern, N.C. The report also lists 10 cities where rising incomes are the norm. Merced, Calif., for example, experienced an income growth of 14.3 percent from 2008 to 2013. To learn more about income levels in these 20 cities, click on http://247wallst.com/special-report/2015/07/14/10-cities-where-incomes-are-growing-and-shrinking-the-fastest/2/.

Old Ironsides Restoration Nearly CompleteEvery school kid knows that the USS Constitution, a Revolutionary War vessel, is the oldest ship still commissioned in the U.S. Navy. The ship has now returned to its birth in Boston after a two-year restoration that included replacement of 100 hull planks with the required caulking as well as repair of the ship's rigging. To access a picture of the ship as well as the resulting account of the renovation, visit http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=101588. Some military hardware becomes icons for the nation. Any visit to Boston should include a visit to the Charlestown Navy Yard.

Cancer Patients With Inexpensive Health Plans May Be Denied Access To Top-Tier Cancer CentersConsumers who choose less expensive health insurance plans may forego access to top-tier physicians caused by a 'narrow network' health plan limitation. These 'narrow network' plans may systemically exclude treatments by NCI-affiliated physicians. This possible exclusion may adversely impact treatment of rare or difficult-to-treat cancers. To learn more about this health issue, click on https://medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_167327.html. Just so you know.

A New Book Tells The Story of The Library Card CatalogA Library of Congress employee recently published a book on the history of the card catalog. According to author Peter Devereaux, the card catalog proved to be one of the most versatile and durable technologies in history. Devereaux relates the story of S. N. Cramer, a Sumerian historian who found a piece of a cuniform tablet about 2 inches by 1 inches that served as a clay library index card. Cramer found the tablet near the ruins of Nippur and dated the tablet to 2000 BCE. For those contemporary students used to looking up references on a library computer, this book provides a picture of how earlier societies organized information. To read the interview, click on http://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2017/07/inquiring-minds-the-unheralded-story-of-the-card-catalog/. And so it goes.

View post:
Home Canning Tips; Researching Hearing, Sight Restoration; Where Income Shrinks; Old Ironsides Restoration ... - Steuben Courier (blog)

By Julia Halsey

After a five-year period of restoration, East Hamptons first artists studio is open once again.

The charming cottage called Moran Studio, built by painter Thomas Moran in 1884, is not only a local landmark, but a nationally designated one as well. While it served as workshop for Moran and his wife, Mary Nimmo Moran, the studio was also a family home with a flourishing garden.

The home was occupied by the Moran family until Thomass death in 1926. It was privately owned until 2004, when it was given to Guild Hall, the theater and museum in East Hampton Village. Then in 2008, the Moran Studio was given to the Thomas Moran Trust Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the studio, to undertake the restoration of the building, which began in 2012 and is set to be complete next June.

Five years after beginning the project, plaster is now being put up on the studio walls, something that Moran Trust Fund Executive Director Jill Malusky said people have been dreaming about. The studio will be open to the public for the first time in several years at the Moran Trusts gala on Saturday, August 5, when all proceeds will aid the final stage of restoration.

To be in the final phase is meaningful, Ms. Malusky said. For people who are aware that Thomas had a studioeven when the studio was in private handsthey always had an interest in it because they knew how important Moran was as an artist, and the fact that he lived in East Hampton was very special.

The restoration will bring the home back to how it appeared in the 1800s and debut a 19th century gardeninspired by Mary Nimmo Morancreated by the Garden Club of East Hampton.

The Moran Trust raised the necessary funds through annual benefits and appeals and received help from individuals interested in art who are passionate about the studio.

On their journey, the members of the restoration team found more than they bargained for. Just a couple of weeks ago, they came across a giant piece of well-preserved fabric wallpaper that Moran had put up himself.

Ms. Malusky and the Moran Trust also witnessed first hand how much Moran loved to salvage items throughout his home. For years, there was a wooden panel above the fireplace that was missing, explained Ms. Malusky. As it turned out, Moran had taken that panel and used it as a door. The missing piece was right there all along, she said.

Once the studio is complete, the Moran Trust is planning on working with the National Park Service to display an art exhibition including Morans paintings of Yellowstone Park, which helped push the site toward becoming a national park. The trust is also set on using the building as a museum and educational arts center, which will feature classes, workshops, tours and lectures.

The Thomas Moran Trust Party will be held on Saturday, August 5, from 6 to 8 p.m., and will feature the unveiling of the Mary Nimmo Moran-inspired garden. Tickets start at $150. Free walking tours of the studio will be held on Friday, August 11, Friday, August 18, and Sunday, August 27. For tickets and more information, call 631-324-0100 or visit thomasmorantrust.org.

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Moran Studio Will Celebrate Final Stages Of Restoration On August ... - 27east.com

PHOENIX Arizonas Verde Valley will soon enjoy a little time in the television limelight as the focus of a historic home restoration show.

The Camp Verde Bugle reported that Boomtown Builders, hosted by Jerome resident Tim McClellan, would film 13 episodes in the area pending the success of Tuesdays pilot episode on the DIY Network.

The show is about resurrecting historic homes in American boomtowns: Towns that quickly boomed in population from a flurry of mining, then busted when the resources went dry, and are now booming once more, he told the newspaper.

The pilot episode was scheduled to air Tuesday at 5p.m. In it, McClellan will help Jeromes chief of police renovate his 1912 home while keeping itshistorical bonesintact.

The pilot was filmed in the spring.

McClellan earned the hosting gig after winning Ellen DeGeneres show, Ellens Design Challenge, in 2015.

However, the judges ruled McClellans winning design was a copy of another piece of furniture. McClellan denied the accusation andDeGeneres later told him she didnt believe he intentionally copied the design.

In addition to his television appearances, McClellan owns Western Heritage Furniture and was the co-founder of Verde Biofuel, a company that specialized in creating mobile biodiesel processors.

Originally posted here:
Arizona's Verde Valley to be focus of historic home restoration show - KTAR.com