They’re buzzing in Lowell about the wonder of history.
An excited neighbor told me that Kari and Randy Wales were renovating their 1892 home with a glimpse at the past and an eye to the future.
There are only a handful of old millwright homes remaining in the Lowell area. This millwright cottage is being updated to respect its heritage.
"We found this house in the paper," Kari Wales said. "I liked the quaintness of the neighborhood. We liked the schools."
As they settled into the home a decade ago, they realized a lot of the charm had been covered up. A neighbor gave them a picture of the original house.
"You start digging," Wales said, "But we’re also adding our own touches."
Running my hand on 111-year-old wallpaper was fun. Fir-plank floors are original. They’ll be re-creating the look of the front porch. The house was built with a matching outhouse so two bathrooms had been added when they bought the home.
Everett Library historian David Dilgard said the house is a wonderful survivor of the paper mill boom era in Lowell.
"It’s one of several matching cottages that lined Third Street at the top end of Eugene Street," Dilgard said. "I think there were about six of them originally — a couple have been lost."
The mill worker houses were designed by one of Everett’s most important early architects, Frederick A. Sexton, an English-born immigrant who drew up scores of buildings on Everett’s "Riverside" during the 1891-93, Dilgard said.
"This particular group of residences (with neat little color-coordinated outhouses behind them) was intended for paper mill employees and their families," Dilgard said. "They were built precisely as the paper mill was being built, late in 1891.They were completed early in 1892."
Of course, he said, the interest and historical value is amplified by the fact the house is part of a group of cottages.
"In spite of the degrees of alteration the houses have experienced down through the years, this is a kind of ‘mini-district’ in my eyes — a very important part of the city’s early heritage," Dilgard said. "I can come up with the darndest excuses to cruise past this stretch of Third Street on my way practically anywhere."
It’s a fixture of our historical tours of Lowell, he said. Pioneer photographer Frank LaRoche took a couple of great views of these houses in progress in mid-January 1892, he added.
Interior construction was afoot when I visited the home. The Waleses were remodeling the wall between the dining room and the kitchen. You can still see the original chimney chase near the stove. When we went upstairs to the bedrooms, I guided my hand on the original banister.
Hearing 111-year-old steps creak prompted a flashback in time.
The family includes two children, Raynor, 11, and Elizabeth, 9. The family planned how to live in the house and remodel simultaneously. They aren’t rebuilding to sell. Wales said she hopes to live in the house until her children finish high school.
Their neighbor, Gail Chism, told me about the cottage remodel. The chairman of the Lowell Civic Association said the millwright cottages have always been treasured in the community. The Waleses are good stewards of their home, Chism said. They make the community proud.
"Interest in history is growing in Everett," Chism said. "Especially in Lowell, where we’ve always done history projects."
Chism, who moved to the neighborhood in 1964, said Lowell was established in 1863 as an independent community.
"There is an old-time sense of pride," she said. "The fact that we are secluded between the freeway and river sets a definite boundary for us."
When she saw siding coming off the Waleses’ home, Chism had to stop and take a look.
"You could see the original siding from 1892," Chism said. "I mean it was just like … you don’t see that very often. To actually view it and touch it. I was just thrilled."
One fun part of the property lies under the ground. One hundred years ago, most folks buried their garbage. As the Waleses have worked on the landscaping, they’ve dug up pieces of bottles, a glass knife handle, window weights, eye glasses, a fork, the tip of a weather vein and part of a ring.
"Our friends said we were crazy because it would be a lot of work," Kari Wales said. "I love the history. I love going back in time."
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com
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