We have had to do some unplanned exterior restoration. A large windstorm in late February knocked several bricks from the chimney cap on the southwest side of the house. It is the chimney for Willard’s Den. While looking at the one chimney Gerry Rice of Rice Masonry Construction alerted us to the poor state of 4 … Read more
Restoration Update Not much has happened (visually) in the past few weeks. The plaster has cured and now is hard and ready to work with. Matthew Weil has stripped the picture rails in preparation for their being refinished. After several layers of paint were removed much more detail on the rails can be seen. Most … Read more
The plasterers have made tremendous progress over the past week. Work in the office and hall has been completed and the dining room and the parlor are set to be completed either by the end of this week or early next week. Some walls were so badly damaged due to the house settling that large … Read more
Ever wonder what Frances Willard carried around with her in the satchel she named “Old Faithful”? Pictured above are a few of the papers she had in it upon her death and includes pamphlets, a newspaper clipping, a letter, and invitations. These items remained there until recently when conservators working on the satchel discovered and removed them. Old Faithful was named … Read more
Week 2 update: The wallpaper has been fully removed to reveal the original plaster, a mystery opening, and a previously unknown wallpaper pattern. The completion of this work also means we have to say “goodbye” to Mike and Zach. It has been a pleasure working with them. The plasterers from Bob Jirasek Plastering have started … Read more
The restoration work has begun! The furniture has been moved out of all 4 rooms being restored in Rest Cottage (Parlor, Entry Hall, Office, and Dining Room) and the wallpaper is being stripped from the walls. (Over time, we will be introducing more proper restoration terminology, but let’s start out simply, shall we?) Already we … Read more
Discovered in the Frances Willard Papers in the Willard Archives on Halloween by a visiting researcher—who was looking for something else entirely– this note was written to Frances Willard by Lizzie Borden (yes, the Lizzie Borden who was accused of murdering her father and step-mother with an axe). The note, sent from Fall River, Mass., … Read more
September 2015 marks the 5th year anniversary of my involvement with the FWHA, the Willard House Museum and Archives, the WCTU, and the story of the most amazing historical figure I’ve ever known, Frances Willard. I knew little about Willard or the Museum, even though I was an undergraduate student at Northwestern University (biology and … Read more