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Patterson, New York / 1862

Victorian House / Restoration

This is the same house in two lives: first as an early hand-colored postcard of our old house in Patterson, New York, and later as the 1862 Victorian we restored. The postcard appears to have been made by H. L. Woehler, Buffalo, N.Y. & Dresden, Germany, a company known for hand-colored view cards. Local views were photographed, colorized or printed through German production houses, and sold as souvenir postcards during the postcard boom of the early 1900s.

Early hand-colored postcard, attributed to H. L. Woehler, Buffalo & Dresden The 1862 Victorian after our exterior restoration and paint work

The restoration work was practical and detailed: exterior paint, reproduction wallpaper, artist-painted molding, stained glass, ceiling detail, woodwork, and the odd clues old buildings leave behind. The attic appears to have included servant-quarter space. A married couple lived there and supported the household, and objects found under the floorboards suggested a private, difficult history. It included laudanum, wine, and a very old wine bottle. The stair newel and related carved-face details also connect to local history: the land behind the property was known as a Native American campsite used for migration over hundreds, if not thousands, of years, and the prior owner intentionally chose the carved faces to honor that tradition.

Reproduction wallpaper, with beadwork and molding painted to match the period look. Dining room ceiling detail added by an artist painter during the restoration. Dining room woodwork with the molding beads treated as separate lines of color. Entry stained glass, likely a catalog-style piece; similar windows show up elsewhere. Found under attic floorboards, in a room that was probably servant-quarter space. A married couple lived there and supported the household; the floorboard find suggested a private, difficult history. Newel-post carving: the prior owner intentionally chose faces that honor the Native American campsite and migration history of the land behind the property. Queen Anne window detail, probably from a later house extension.