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Text by Joanne M. Anderson Photos by Christy Wallace In 1910, Howard Taft was the 27th president of the United States and the 10th chief justice of the United States, the only person to have held both offices. Joyce Hall founded Hallmark Cards. The average wage was 22 cents an hour. Eight percent of homes had a telephone, and the average house price was $2,500. The 4,400-square-foot house in Pulaski that Blake Le and Shannon Collins purchased in the spring of 2018 was probably on the high end for the day, maybe $5,000. Imagine. A 3-story house with a big wraparound porch, hardwood floors and multiple fireplaces for the cost of basic kitchen appliances today, not including a wine cooler or trash compactor. And the main attraction of this house? Well, for
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NRV MAGAZINE
Blake there really wasn’t any. He’s an artist who likes modern lines and contemporary structures. For Shannon, it was the newel post. Imagine. Buying a large, white, century-plus old house because of an interior post. Well, as the old saw goes: Stranger things have happened. Newel posts stand at the bottom (or middle occasionally) of a staircase. They are often decorative and serve as an anchor for the railing and handrail. It’s an architectural detail that evolved from simple, tapered square posts to elaborate columns with large caps and carving in the post. Many held vacant space inside where important papers or drawings could be stored. Some newel posts had a button where a hole had been drilled once the mortgage was paid off and the paper was stuffed inside.
Nov/Dec 2021
