If Our House On Hamlet Could Tell Its Story

Every house has it's own unique character. If ours could speak,
here's what I imagine it might say:

"Like the many single family homes in older suburbs around Harrisonburg, I represent the craftsmanship of literally millions of hands far and near, and I have been inhabited by scores of people in the sixty plus years of my life. 

The half acre lot on which I was built was purchased in 1955, and my first owners lived in the basement until they could afford to finish and furnish the upstairs space. Since then numerous families have raised children under my roof, couples have retired here, and scores of college students, young couples and single individuals have made their homes in the basement apartment below.

I was first conceived by architects who drew up the blueprints used by the builders overseeing the project. Every step of construction involved numerous people who covered every necessary detail, beginning with an excavation crew carving out the basement and digging the foundation. 

Concrete trucks delivered loads of cement mixed with tons of water and sand, along with gravel from a nearby quarry, all of which was poured into the basement floor and the footers. Cement blocks manufactured at a local plant were hauled in and laid in place by a hardworking crew of skilled masons. 

The truckloads of lumber required came from as far away as the western US and Canada. Scores of floor joists, wall studs and roof rafters were hammered together by a carpentry crew applying scores of board feet of lumber and multiple sheets of plywood that went into the subfloor, walls and roof. And of course all of this came from trees in far off forests where the lumber was harvested,  hauled, milled, planed and prepared for shipping. As with all of the building supplies, truckers from all over were responsible for transporting all of these goods to the local firms that provided for their storage, marketing, sale and delivery. 

Multiple other products from all over were added by a small army of roofers, electricians, drywall workers, plumbers, heating and cooling installers, finish carpenters, painters, carpet installers and landscapers, each by turn doing their part in creating the finished dwelling. 

So as you can see, a house is not just a house, but a remarkable artifact made up of thousands of products crafted by millions of hands from all over the globe, all made possible by an amazing Creator of a truly amazing and fragile planet. And over the years my owners have painted, repaired, remodeled and made additions and improvements that have added to my value, utilizing even more products that have been mined, manufactured, crafted, assembled, packaged and then shipped from places all over the globe. With proper care, I should last for generations.

While I am not the latest or most luxurious house in the neighborhood, I have been well lived in and loved on, have provided protection from the cold and relief from the heat, and have a multitude of memorable stories to tell. My present owners, having inhabited me for half of my life (nearly 33 years now) are reluctant to leave, but are planning to downsize and simplify their life by moving to one of VMRC's comfortable and more than adequate homes in nearby Park Village."

Our new abode is the middle unit between our two new neighbors' garages on Hawthorne Circle.