Old Florida # 5

Came across this wonderful old house quite by accident. Saw the pale pink peeking from the tall hedges surrounding the property and new I'd found a great place for blipping. If you're interested, several other photos (not sepia) can be seen here. In one of these photos, a date, 1903, can be seen above the dormer window.

The house is fenced and hedged and posted heavily with no trespassing signs, so did not venture in for a closer look. Neither is the house featured in any of the library books about Manatee county historic homes, which is very frustrating!

There's an incredible amount of decorative plaster detail and Victorian gingerbread in the eaves and pediments. The exterior is quite worn in places, but looks pretty good overall. Located as the house is, maybe 100 feet from the Manatee River, it must have been a grand home once. The side porches facing the river are just gorgeous! The house is currently occupied and a restoration job is being done on an upstairs sleeping porch.

Don't want to assume you don't already know, but a sleeping porch might be a new idea for those of you in cooler climates. Such porches were almost a necessity before the advent of air conditioning in the American South. They extended from the house and if they were on the second floor, created a porte cochere underneath, which is true of this house. There were windows on all three sides to catch any stray breeze and were furnished with cots, dormitory style. In the winter, the porch might be used as a sun room.

Thanks for all your comments about my new little hedgie! Sounds like we're a playful and fun-loving group ;-0