A Very Sensible House
lovingly restored through generations
Text by Joanne M. Anderson Photos by Tom and Christy Wallace When Dublin native Trish Hale married Dublin native Steve Hale, just shy of 50 years ago, she packed a suitcase, said her vows and went to Steve’s childhood home to set up housekeeping. “We moved into Steve’s parents house, where he grew up, and all the furniture and pots and pans were already here,” she explains. The home had been vacant a couple years, since the folks passed away, and Steve and his siblings inherited it, one-quarter each. Over the years, Steve and Trish bought the other shares and engaged in myriad renovation projects. “My vision was that it could be a very sensible house to raise kids in the country,” says Steve. 24
NRV MAGAZINE
It is not only a sensible house, but also a stunning property which embraces history, elegance and a genuine rustic flair in a 20-acre, bucolic, country setting. Built in 1882 on a 100-acre farm, the structure got its second story in 1905. The kitchen was a separate building, common in the day because of fire risk, heat and odors. Steve points out there was also an ice house, woodshed, wash house, granary, smoke house, hen house and barn, and he adds: EIEIO! Fruit orchards were abundant, along with draft horses, chickens, hogs, sheep and cattle. When the Hales took residence in 1973, there was an indoor kitchen with a metal sink and few cupboards, Jul y/Aug
2022
