What's in a name?

Today we had some unexpected and most enchanting visitors! David Nicholson (original owner Mildred Horne's son - he grew up in the home) and his wife Susan stopped by in hopes to check on the house. Reid and I were thrilled and, of course, loaded with questions. We gave them a tour of the home, showing some of our restorations and updates, and getting new insight on the history of the place.

Our visit with the Nicholsons confirmed most of the ideas we had about the history of the home but shed some new light on others. Perhaps most notably: the name! David recalled the place was actually known as "PINEY GREEN" (not "PINE GREEN"). Indeed, when we all took a close look at the front gate that bears the name, next to the "E" in "PINE" there were three small bumps, two above, one below, confirming that a "Y" once fit perfectly in the space. We don't yet know why or how the "Y" was removed, but this afternoon Reid took the time to fashion a temporary "Y" and set it in place. I'm sure we'll add a permanent one eventually to fully restore it, but for now, at least from a distance, it's pretty convincing, as apparent in the above photo. We think "Piney Green" evokes more of a sense of whimsy that perfectly fits Sam Stoltz.

The Nicholsons have lots of original records on the home and promised to send Reid and me some of the information. We're excited at the prospect of learning more about Piney Green's history and sharing it in this blog (which, as a result of today's revelation, now has a new name and new address!: Sam Stoltz's Piney Green - pineygreen.blogspot.com)