Very rare for this house to have remained in the same family for so long! And great to see them continuing to try to preserve it. Tip Jar: www.paypal.me/rwrightphotography Follow me on my old farm: ru-vid.com/show-UC56vh2L-M0czmoTRLhSMaxg eBay Shop: www.ebay.com/usr/oldbyrdfarm Join The Official Sidestep Adventures Fan Group: facebook.com/groups/561758371276581/?ref=share_group_link Support us on Patreon: Patreon.com/SidestepAdventures My flashlight link: www.olightstore.com/s/UPTJSG Save 10 percent: SAIH10 (not valid on sales items and X9R) Mail: Sidestep Adventures PO BOX 206 Waverly Hall, Georgia 31831
I live on the same property that’s been in my family since 1864. The original house was tore down but the house I live in is over a hundred years old. It is the last house built. The kitchen, bathroom, and a bedroom was added on in the 1960’s
I always wondered if my grandmother ever slept, because she seem to be awake when I went to bed and she seemed to be awake when I woke up the one thing I’ll always remember is the smell of bacon and coffee coming from her kitchen When we would go visit In a two bedroom little house in Mercedes Texas❤
Robert, Please thank that young Lady for presenting her childhood home, it kinda reminds me of my own in the forties and fifties. I grew up in a Victorian farmhouse in Jackson,N.J. with hand dug wells and a Yankee cellar. We had 27 acres and 60 7 outbuildings. Old double hung windows with sash weights. Freezing cold in the winter and sweating hot in the summer. Our neighbors, The Clayton'S house was built before the REevolution. Another neighbors house was post and beam construction, I've seen a lot of really old places. That house is a puzzle. Cheers, Rik Spector
Thank you Joy for letting us visit. I can remember my gparents house out in the woods and the well on the backporch and the big ole stove that heated the place. Nothing like memories..I hope you do save it and maybe let Robert come back and show us.
My maternal Grandparents used to sweep their yard. Lol.... Also an old farmhouse in Loganville GA. They were born in the 1880's. They had an outhouse, a well with no running water, and finally got a light bulb in the kitchen when I was really young.
I enjoyed seeing this very much. Those first rooms with their wide ‘mop’ boards were certainly typical of 1850s houses from my region. I’m glad she’s taken the interest to save it and give it a new purpose.
I was the third generation to live in our family home. It started as a migrated workers home on a farm. The kitchen became the bathroom, and then they added a kitchen, and a master bedroom for 6 boys to sleep in. Then 4 years later added another bedroom when us girls came along. LOL I love the idea that they plan on keeping it as a family house. My sister is living in the house now, but that is our plan when she no longer wants to live there or can't.
This is a history video exploring this old house which belongs to Joy and her family who appear on this video. Not to be confused with my place, Old Byrd Farm…
Hello Robert, please let Joy know that we thoroughly enjoyed the trip down memory lane and for all her knowledge of the history of that homestead. Thank You, Joy and Thank You Robert for making these videos.😊❤
Most old farms had dirt yards because the people had chickens that roamed freely in the day time and were cooped up at night to protect them. Those chickens would scratch around and eat any grass or weed seeds that would be in the yard so there was never any grass to mow. We used to rake the dirt in my Great Aunts farm to remove twigs and leaves with Broom Sedge that were homemade. This was an interesting house and her memory of it is just a glimpse into the past. Volumes of books could be written about it if it were recorded through the years.
I remember my grandmother asking us to sweep the yard at her old farmhouse. We used a broom made of broom sage tied in a bunch with string. I’m sure part of the reason was to get rid of chicken droppings since the chickens free-ranged.
I grew up in a similar 1900 farm house. Old windows, very little insulation, only a gas furnace downstairs with floor vents upstairs. The slanted ceilings would drop moisture over our beds in the winter so we would wipe it dry before going to sleep. Sometimes it would drip on our heads in the night. 💧 We 5 girls had the master bedroom, brother had the wide hallway with banister railing, and my parents had the tiny "birthing room" downstairs. We were told the house was built as a summer home for a city doctor who brought his wife and children out to the country for Summers. My parents owned it for over 50 years until Dad died and mom went into assisted living.
Same here but with a wood stove & then later coal. Water Well was on back porch. Had a cellar just one level all wood floors & walls, oak shingles on front & tin on back & over porches.
@@glennyork6800 that's so cool hearing stories of people still alive who essentially grew up in the past Era. Meaning living somewhat like what it was in the past
Joy certainly has a desire, interest and the means (planning) to save it and put it to continued good use by the family. Good investigation of construction and mapping the eras of the house. Heat source, it does appear like there was not one. I suspect if the paneling (looks like paneling anyway) was removed, thst would tell and even greater story. On the linoleum, it is possible that was not the kitchen because my old family farmhouse had linoleums in every room, the fanciest pattern of which was in the living room. Great tour!! It always does my heart good to see such caring about an old family place. Enjoyed!! 👍👍❣️❣️
Thank you Robert and Joy for the wonderful tour and history of this old homestead! I'd love something like this in our family. Alas, it would never be. Joy's family is blessed! The wood is in remarkable shape. So many more memories yet to be made.
I'm about 10 minutes into this right now. A friend of mine (who passed away 8 years ago) lived in a farmhouse built in 1853, here in NJ. It was 44 feet wide, 5 bays, with a center hall over 10 feet wide. It had 3 full floors with high ceilings, the lowest being the 3rd floor ceilings, at 7 foot 9. It had a low-pitched hipped roof with a low attic, which I was never in. There was a kitchen addition on the back, and a full unfinished basement. The place needed a lot of work when she died. But what a fantastic amazing house. I wish I still had access to it. Oh, and there were fireplaces in every room. But there was also a hot water furnace with huge cast iron radiators in every room. Anyway, back to watching the video. Okay, I still find it strange that houses like yours and that one, don't have stairways to the attic. My grandfather's 1900 farmhouse in Burlington County, NJ had a real full-width staircase up to the attic. It was in one of the bedrooms and it was fully walled in with a door at the bottom. That was definitely a lot of fun. I love the old houses, and it's great that one is going to be preserved.
That is awesome that it has been in the same family all this time .Glad they are trying to save it and put it to use within the family to create more happy memories .Keep Safe ❤Keep Well❤
Thank you for sharing past history of this house. Your recollections of all the happy times spent here your family really brought the life of this house into focus and makes it very special beyond simply a historic structure. Much appreciation and good wishes to you and your family.
She mentioned because of one the other rooms having linoleum flooring, it may have been used as a kitchen, my grandmother had linoleum in every room and I think it was very common in the old days.
I grew up in a house built in the city 1917. I remember having patterned linoleum room size flooring in all the rooms (kitchen and bath had 9x9" floor tiles.) It wasn't until early 1960s we got wall to wall carpeting in the living room.
Yes, the old timers called rolls of linoleum they bought and rolled out in all rooms "a rug". The linoleum made rooms easier to sweep, plus prevented foot splinters. Linoleum cut to fit precisely and glued down wasn't custom in many parts of the US until after WW2. Linoleum wasn't originally only for wet areas, as it seems to be of late.
What a wonderful home and to know that she once lived there and it is in her family thanks to Uncle John. I truly hope that they can bring it back to life.
Yes, it wonderful to see this family wanting save this house knowing it’s been in the family for so many years. Each family member has cherished memories of it. Also amazing to know it’s still standing n fairly great shape. Love old houses n I’m a real stickler for saving them. Definitely enjoyed the video. ♥️♥️😊👍👍👍🌟🌟🌟
PS the boards you refer to as Purlins are roof sheathing over the rafters and called "skip sheathing " because of the equal space between each board and were spaced to accommodate the nailing of the wood shingle length. Yes the spacing or "skip" was wider for metal roof Application. So fun to explore the old homes. Thank you
That is what I remember my momma talking about as to why they "swept" their yards and didn't let a weed or blade of grass grow in the yards. She said my granny always took pride in their clean swept yard.
Grass and weeds in the yard were considered a sign of laziness. Determining where the yards were swept to can lead to good metal detecting. The house looks post civil war to me, maybe 1880s or 90s. Close up pictures of the nails would help. Detached kitchens and barns were sometimes the original cabin/house.
Hi Robert 👋 👋 👋 👋 and joy 😊 it's very interesting farm house 🏠 the layout you can definitely tell it's been improved over generations it's nice of joy telling her family history good and intresting video Andrew south and wales uk 🇬🇧 😀
My mother was from Jackson CO, GA. She told me that they had to sweep the yard up until she was married in 1945. She was born in 1924. I had other family members who had to sweep their yard up until the 1960's. They used a broom that they made themselves.
I heard it was because it would keep snakes and other critters out of the yard and/or you would see their "paths" or "footprints". It also discouraged farm animals from eating weeds or grass, and reduced the chances of a grass fire coming near the house.
My Grandmother who is 93 told me her father my great Grandfather who was born in 1902 didn't want any kind of grass growing around the house. It was supposed to keep away snakes and mosquitoes. She also told me they didn't have any electricity and had a wood burning stove. She said that her dad burned old rags and other stuff in a barrel at night to keep away the mosquitoes. This was in the 1940s when she was a young girl in rural Cullman County, Alabama.
@@jr7575 You are fortunate to have a living grandmother. All of my grandparents were born in the 1880's. All of my aunt's & uncles are deceased. My last aunt passed in February of this year. She was 96. My mother passed May 16, 2022 at age 98. My parents' families didn't have any electricity or gas. They cooked on a wood stove & had fireplaces for heat. My mother said they wore their arms out by fanning with funeral home hand held fans. No indoor plumbing either. Used an outhouse got water from a well. I do remember some of these fun living conditions. LOL The children of today have it easy.
All of this brings back memories of my grandparents home which has long been torn down. Everything from the cold bedroom to the coffee percolator to the window fans. I really enjoyed this video
I had some de ja vu as you walked from the dining room to the kitchen, my ancestor's family home was built similarly. I almost expected to see Aunt Mary at the stove.
In my grandmother's Queen Anne house built in early 1900s, which was a much larger 2 story house with pillars and a balcony, they used little gas fire stoves to heat and I don't remember the fireplaces being used So maybe they used those little gas stoves in the rooms and bypassed chimneys and fireplaces. I remember waking up and running down the staircase to get to the warm kitchen as a little girl. Thank you for the tour.
My folks bought my dad's great-uncle's house back in the '70s. The family used it for decades as the family gathering place. Dad's gram dubbed it The Party House. A great use for this house!
Robert, the house I grew up in, part of it was built in the 1700s. The other part was built in the 1800s. It was a hotel for the train station, that was across the road.. long gone now... Then a bordello at another time. It's very haunted! I could tell you some stories that would curl your toes!!! 😉
It sure would be nice if the family chipped in and fixed this precious house up. I'm sure there is at least one family member that needs a home? I love the house !
My house was built 1924. It has asbestos siding. Under that is wood siding. Lots of square nails used to build b house. Part of house still runs on knob and tube.
My granny’s house was quite similar. She would be 115. William Smarr related. My grandfather was in Jeremiah Fryar. I LOVED my grandmother started letting me light the pilot light. Thank you sharing this. Thank you.
Hey, Robert, Joy mentioned William Story! I am from south Georgia & there is a William Story as well as a Sarah & a John Story in my father's line. Is there a way for me to get more info about this William Story? What county is this house located in? How can I get info? Is it possible to email Joy? Or you? I got excited when I heard his name!! Lol. Thank you for your history info. ❤. 14:10
Please comment on the dirt in these yards that they swept. I never heard of that. I am 67 but was raised in New Orleans. Funny story growung up was my mom had 5 kids in 6 years. Yes they were catholic! But we has a lawn that my Dad's pride and joy. He mowed and edged but we had to sweep the driveway and sidewalks. Well us younger kids failed to do it so my Dad said to get out there and do it. We protested it becausr it was getting dark out there. Well Dad said it was our fault so we obeyed with our flashlights and brooms and got to it. Meanwhike my eldest sister was returning from her first car date from a day at the zoo. She was mortified to return home and find us in the dark sweeping with flashlights and have to explain it to her date. Question is what would become of the yard when it rained or snowed? It sounds like it would turn into a mud pit. Thank you.
Snow's not really an issue in that part of Georgia. I do have some photos from the 1940s when it snowed but that was only and inch or so and would have been gone in a day or two.
Enjoyed this because she has some childhood memories and some knowledge of the generations before her. It's not like you are walking and assuming what may have been. She is a missing link to the history. Their plans are wonderful. ❤❤
Looks like it needs a lot of TLC. Maybe once/if they get it fixed up or restored to its original state they could use it has a Air B&B or Bed and Breakfast.
I now live in Georgia, but growing up in Kentucky, I would spend the summers with my oldest sister. I hated it when I had to sweep the yard because of the dust. how wonderful the same family still owns this home after all these years.
I find it interesting that although Joy was born and raised in the heart of the deep south, she has no detectible southern accent. I guess it's due to the influence of mass media including television. Joy's a lovely addition to your videos!
@@joyfisher2128 I kind of figured that out when you mentioned (in the next video I think) that your dad worked for Lockheed. I lived in Marietta for 15 years about 3 miles from the plant. Best regards and Go Dawgs!
