According to the Library of Congress, the Liberty Bell itself made a “triumphal progress” through St. Louis during the World’s Fair in 1904. Maybe Hall & Brown wanted to commemorate the visit of the real Liberty Bell to St. Louis?
If Hall and Brown was in business in 1875, they may have made the Liberty Bell as a souvenir for America’s Centennial celebration. I was a teenager during the Bicentennial and it was a big, big deal. Lots of companies made commemorative items from model airplanes to syrup bottles.
Hey Kaleb, it's funny, we both premiered within a few hours of each other! I am enjoying seeing the cornice being restored, it will make a huge difference to the house, thanks for the video. Cheers, Mike
The little liberty bell might have just been a promotional doodad, a bit like companies do today with their logos printed on pens and other ephemera. It's a curiosity, it gets your attention, and then you remember the company. Really nice to see one of the ugliest bits of the old damage being restored now that you've got through so much more of the house.
I think you could be right. At first I thought maybe it was from a world's fair. It's possible that Hall & Brown had a booth at the 1926 World's Fair in Philadelphia. If that's the case, there might be photos of their booth out there. (The liberty bell ties into that fair more than the 1904 Worlds Fair in St Louis, but obviously that's another fair to search out a possible H&B booth photo)
@@Arkay66 Yep. Came here to suggest this exactly. Tho' I didn't know that the 1926 World's Fair was in Philadelphia, so that probably could tie in too.
Once again, history rings the bell and you're there to answer it's call. That's a really cool find from the past which serves as an affirming reinforcement to your seeming future. Your tenacity and progress is inspiring, your enthusiasm is unmatched and your passion is heartwarming. CHEERS!
Through your channel I found two channels who are renovating French Chateau's. They're in France. One family moved from North England the other a young couple from Paris I believe to Normandy. These people are as talented as you are... researching the history of an abandoned relic built in the 1700's. Some parts haven't been touched for a hundred years. But they have dreams and they're living it day by day. You are even using old carpentry machines used back in the day to renovate your Victorian home. That's awesome! You and Kim are living your dreams. Your one year wedding anniversary is coming up so "Happy 1rst Anniversary."
Would one of those channels happen to be Escape to Rural France? I got sucked into that one mainly because the man is, like Kaleb, a seemingly tireless worker who deeply values the history and craftsmanship of his chateau. There's also a very young channel called Scottish Cottage Renovation, and that couple do a ton of heavy lifting. Not sure yet how much they plan to modernize the property but, even though I'm far more drawn to period accurate restoration versus renovation, there's no denying the determination and labor involved. And all of these good people are documenting their journeys for our enjoyment!
I am such in awe of your love, patience,dedication,talent you are using on this gorgeous lady. This is truly a special thing you are doing. Thank you for letting us follow along.
Looking great Kaleb! Your getting there :))) So much work but so worth it! For me I know how it feels to wake up in the morning and know that you have to go back to work scraping, sanding etc. and thinking ughhhh I don't want to do this but making myself go do it everyday. I also remember the great satisfaction when it was all finished and being proud of my hard work and the beautiful results.
Kaleb, you have the patience of a saint to do such time consuming detailed work! Also, Happy First Wedding Anniversary to you and Kim coming up! House is looking great! 👍😊
Looks fantastic! I often worry about the house next door burning down and what it would do to your beautiful gem. Maybe the sweet RU-vid money will allow you to buy it some day!
Caleb, i love your Hall&Brown collection. That bell is an awesome find! I'm curious if you've noticed any previous repairs when you are in the lift scraping paint? Or do you suppose everything is 110+ years old? Thanks for sharing the details of your work. The process is fun to watch, and your progress is exciting to witness. I hope the rafter repair goes well. I wondered when you were filming if you can see the other ends of them from inside the attic? I reckon we'll get a peek when you start replacing the boards. I know you have to be enjoying the Missouri autumn weather as much as i am. Be safe on that lift, brother. J. in Jeffco.
The corbels are looking so beautiful! Crisp and clean, and the colors work so well. For some reason they make me think of an old river boat. Definitely special. Once you get that messy section secured, you will feel so much better! And yes, squirrels are quite a scourge. Your patience will be rewarded, though there must be some days when "dentil moulding' are dirty words. Cool Liberty Bell! Probably a promotional item, perhaps for a 4th of July sales event, or perhaps some anniversary? I found this in Wikipedia: In 1893, it (the Liberty Bell) was sent to Chicago's World Columbian Exposition to be the centerpiece of the state's exhibit in the Pennsylvania Building.[54] On July 4, 1893, in Chicago, the bell was serenaded with the first performance of The Liberty Bell March, conducted by "America's Bandleader", John Philip Sousa.
This house will be a beauty when it is completed! Kaleb you and Kim are doing an awesome job. The details we get to see without all the crappy paint. Absolutely beautiful! Good luck! Love you both.💕
So happy to see this in my subscription feed, always look forward to updates on this restoration, be extra aware of fire safety, have smoke alarms on every floor, safe electricals everywhere, and fire extinguishers, you can get nice silver ones.
Love seeing every little bit of progress on the house! I literally know nothing about restorations but seeing your passion and determination is so inspiring!! Keep up the great work
Trim the trees so there are no branches within 10-12 feet. Do research on the Philadelphia World's Fair in 1876. Your Liberty Bell might be related to it.
Re. Your Hall & Brown things... when you're looking for specific things, they have a tendency to find you! Love watching your work. The attention to detail is excellent
Drone shots of your city show how sad they have gutted all of those lovely old buildings and that so much of the city is just a bare wasteland of space unused
Very cool estate sale find. With H&B being founded in 1877 and the US centennial being celebrated the year before I suspect that’s a souvenir commemorating the United States 1st century. Very nice work on the facade of your home!
You should make your way to St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis. It is a French Gothic Catholic Church built in 1907 and it is by far the most beautiful building in St. Louis
Caleb, you are Amazing to have so much Passion and Patience to restore this Old Lady. She will turn heads on everyone who walks by her. The Liberty Bell and Doll Furniture may have been Souvenirs or Calling Card items to get their Name and Branding into the hands of people. LOVE the background Music you play in these. 😊
My farming uncles used to get a hat with the Manufacturer's logo, when they bought a piece of farm equipment. Perhaps the little Liberty Bell was like that.
I think things having to do with Hall & Brown just have a way of finding you, Kaleb. I think they call it serendipity and I hope it keeps happening. The video on the monuments was fascinating. I'm absolutely in love with the lily-of-the-valley carving on the Waynewright (sp) crypt, it looks almost like lace!
Paint removal, especially old exterior paint removal, is hell. I did this kind of work on my house. It was so much grinding with sanding discs and a diamabrush head on my angle grinder and an obscene amount of heat gun work to strip crown molding, tight corners, hard to reach spots, and detailed spots. I feel your pain with this task. It straight up sucks, but is very rewarding when you watch the old paint come off and see clean wood revealed. Good work.
Kaleb, Don't get down-hearted, where you have stripped the wood it still looks great. Considering it's age, just wow. And yes, the hose is a great idea, we so often hear of fires in buildings being repaired, seldom when they are just 'being. Replacing those rafter ends and getting the new timber fixed in the cornice will really make a terrific difference. Great stuff. When does summer end with you, how long before the bad weather sets in? Great set of memorabilia, love the 'Liberty Bell', truly random, but hey. Maybe it was for an anniversary, 1876 maybe?
You make it sound so simply but I know how much work and time this must be! The colors you have selected are wonderful and so in keeping with the age of the house. Will keep my eyes open for any Hall & Brown items I might stumble upon.
Really gives some perspective seeing the intricacies of how the roof is held on. Amazing craftsmanship. Do you know if the brick was hand made or bought from the Hydraulic Press Brick Company?
Caleb, Is there a reason you started to prep for paint and finish work before securing the structure? Also curious why you began painting before finishing the stripping.
The rafter tails behind the moldings, you may have take off an intact piece to replicate the profile of the ends and sister a new piece off the old ends if their is enough wood to secure it to. Then place the new pieces up. It should work in thoeory, just try a section and treat it with a insectiside to keep the powder post beatles from burrowing holes in the new work you completed.
I have an ambivalent feeling about the whole project. I see the work that you have done and think that's nice, then look at all the work that needs to be done and think does he have enough gas in the tank to keep going to the end!
I think that too, but i think he has a contractor doing much of the roof repairs, once that is undrrway, it will be a huge motivation boost. I think if i were him, Id then focus on getti g the third floor 'private quarters' cozy and livable, and the cellar kitchen so they dont feel like theyre living in a construction site.
I'll be visiting my sister in Webster Groves this week, so, if you see a Subaru with Nebraska plates slowly cruising by, it's just me gawking at your awesome house.
Caleb, Please be careful with that heat gun.... I saw burn marks on you work... you know how fast that wood can ignite.... you may want to use JASCO paint stripper.... it may help... the work looks good! we are already feeling fall here.... hope you can still get in some good outdoor time before snow flies! HUGS and Prayers! Oh yeah.... you can cut off the tag now on your sprinkler.....
Would it be possible to remove all the external gutters, frieze boards, corbels, dentil molding, and the like and work on it down at ground level/indoors? I feel like not only would that be easier/faster, but would allow you to inspect and address all of the brick and stone issues that might be lurking behind those boards that you currently can't see.
You mentioned the risk of fire when using any heat source around the old wood sections to strip paint. When we were doing some kitchen remodeling in our old 1905 house years ago, I had to solder a copper pipe joint using a torch with the joint only about an inch away from where the pipe exited the wall. I knew there were wood laths behind the plaster and torching that close to the wall opening had me worried. Soon as I had the joint soldered I quickly unloaded a small fire extinguisher into the opening to be on the safe side.
Heroic, live to create/recreate another day ! The debate between conservation and duplication ..... many considerations . You sir (and your better 7/8ths) will figure it out ! GREAT ! K&K Restorations !!!!
Liberty bell paperweight I would hazard a guess at 1876. I thought I might have linseed oil paint on my bannisters so I tried rubbing linseed oil on them. It really refreshed the paint. Many thanks for the tip
I cant help but wonder if perhaps a carbide scraper would have been faster than a heat gun and a putty knife for those long flat surfaces. But its looking great!
Harrodsburg Castle in Kentucky (shows the most and up close view of the problem) and 2 other restoration projects on RU-vid all point to the gutter construction as being the problem. Gutter was made well but the way that it was constructed to empty was the initial problem that created the bigger problem. It couldn't get rid of the water and instead held water creating a load on the brick and wood structure. Along with it eventually leaking internally on brick that was for internal use only so it could not handle the water as well as the exterior brick.
I think I may know where your Liberty Bell came from. I’m from Philadelphia and we had a Grand Exposition here in 1876 for the Centennial. Did Hall&Brown possibly show at the Exposition? People find souvenirs here all the time from the 1876 Exposition.
I really love your channel so much, dude. Please keep sharing whatever content your heart desires to make!! That cemetery video was amazing, and so was this one~♡
Kaleb, thanks again for taking us along with you! The mansard seems overwhemingly daunting, but you keep chipping away at it bit by bit... In my younger years I would've never even maybe thought of tackling a project like this! Best wishes to you & Kim!!!
Tjhs little Liberty Bell will be great piece of yours collection. So nice that things like that can find someone who will appreciate its value and true meaning.
❤ I love those colors more every time I see them! Please enjoy every sunset you can. Food for the soul is as important as any food. Great job, I love everything you’ve done so far. 😊
You are fortunate that what needs to be replaced are the joist extensions. To fully and accurately cut new extensions, coat the end profile of the existing cornice boards and transfer the profile onto a jig board. You can then use 5hat jig board to cut the needed profiles onto new joist extensions. Do not try to use the old built up ones existing. As you can see those have separated due to the dis- conformity of the pieces and will do so again. When the house built, they did not have portable power tools that can ease the cutting of such shapes , only very large band saws so those extensions were most likely cut by hand and then built up in a similar manner as the corbels. The new extensions should be new full thickness pieces of treated wood, so they are moisture ,rodent and insect resistant.
Maybe someone made the bell as a gift to Hall and Brown? They werent the makers but rather a recipient. Just theorizing but H&B might have partnered with a foundry to make forgings for their machinery and as a gift to a good working partnership between supplyer and buyer, the bell was made as a gift to H&B to show appreciation for business
I hope you’ll be able to get that area that needs to be restored before the snow comes. I’m loving the color of the corbels. I think that’s awesome finding the Liberty Bell paper weight n who knows what else is out there. Stay safe when your up 40ft in the air. Sure do miss seeing Kim. Hope she’s doing well. ♥️♥️😊👍👍🌟🌟
Been into some little restoration projects and was very frustrated when digging in that what I was trying to save could just have been easier to replace with modern long lasting product's. 🇺🇸
my guess is the bell was a give away to dealers and company's that sold-bought lots of equipment. Was there a significant anniversary for the US and or the Liberty Bell, that might date it? great update 2x👍
Just keep at it and keep safe. You'll get there. I read that squirrels' teeth will grow too long if they don't constantly chew on something. I wonder if you could give them something enticing to chew on away from the house a little? Or would that just draw more squirrels🤔?
Hi Caleb, greetings from Germany! Lovely Collection and I love how much dedication and love you’re pouring into that old house, not only for yourself but others as well and generations to come who will enjoy a historical building that has been greatly talen care of. I have some remarks i would like to offer: 1. the bell paperweight. Afaik bells are at least among the most sophisticated things to make when it comes to metal pouring (? maybe the wrong term..?). as many parts of their machinery is made from poured metal it’s maybe an advertisement for their craftsmanship for metal work as well as a sort of patriotic trinket to give away. maybe it was something they made from otherwise mediocre metal scraps and left overs the craftsmen were not comfortable to use or reuse in machinery parts ?!? I know of Gesellen or Lehrlinge (like graduates and students in craftsmanship) are sometimes given the freedom to experiment in side projects using unused raw material or scraps and of course time the machinery is not in use for paid projects either in their free time or as a type of investment into them as artisans of their field. and they sometimes make less „serious“ or less „useful“ stuff, sometimes a little bit silly or just cute stuff. i could totally see one of them making little metal bells or doll furniture building plans and prototyes At a time where wood was really expensive and the students had to pay the raw material for their Gesellenstück themselves (like their graduation piece) they just bulit miniature furniture, that is nowadays often mistaken for doll furniture. but it was just made out of necessity and features all the relevant construction details, even though doll furniture wouldn’t need that kind of stability. 2. the squirrel vandalism: I know , anything can be a pest. try to see it from their perspective: they need secure places to hibernate and to raise their young. they’ve probably found the roof of your house already offering some nooks and cracks they just needed to widen. in nature they seek out old woodpecker nests or otherwise hollow tree parts they adjust to their size and needs. as old hollow branches are safety hazards to people, buildings and cars, trees in cities are usually well trimmed and don’t offer a lot of places for woodpeckers to find all those bugs and worms eating rotting wood nor the squirrels to find natural nesting places. so in the end they took advantage of the old lady’s crown being damaged enough for them to make their way. i really wonder wether some nesting boxes in the trees around your house would be suitable to make that roof less interesting, or wether it would just boost the squirrel population in the area 😂 ups. i don’t know how territorial squirrels are. maybe a nesting place for predators like a barn owl would keep them away as soon as one moves in. where i lived we had a nesting pair of crows. many don’t know that nesting crows keep the flocks of juvenile crows (very loud, dirty and annoying) away from their territory. in some areas of berlin the city hangs giant predators eyes (like the flaming eye of mordor 😂) to prevent crows from nesting, because they had started to attack passersby (to protect fallen down fledglings, not out of spite if course). our pair of crows always stayed suspicious of us, humans usually are not nice to crows. but we always gave them the meals our old fragile cat refused to finish (thawed fish filet or chicken breast, very sad to throw away) and they came with their fledglings the second year on😍 nature sometimes strikes back at us but with a little understanding it sometimes works out just fine and we can just enjoy the little critters instead of raging war on nature. we are destined to loose any way.
This sure is a labour of 💕 Kaleb. All credit to you for your patience. The renovation will surely last for another hundred years... Enjoying watching progress..
