Inside a President’s home #WW
Hello, kittens and dawgs! Are you ready to share your photos? Last week, I shared A President’s Home, and as promised I’m sharing a few pictures from inside Andrew Johnson’s Greeneville, Tennessee homestead.
Before I delve further into my pictorial journal, let me say thank you for visiting and to say it give me pleasure to announce this week’s featured photographer….
Daily Bread
Congratulation, Jill! Last week, she shared Black and White Wednesday Power Hour which was beautifully written, photographed perfectly, and awesome inspiring. I insist hope that you go by to see what’s new on Daily Bread and while you’re there be sure to leave your footprints behind in comments. Now, I invite you to link your Wordless or (not-so-wordless) Wednesday post below.
Why not ask your friends to join the fun?
I used my big girl camera, Nikon D7000, to photograph the interior of President Andrew Johnson’s home. Low lighting wasn’t prime conditions for shooting without flash, but the moments captured nonetheless. Originals shot in color; to give the images a warmer quality I applied the sepia filter in Pixelmator photo-editing app to give it a period setting effect.
I remember when I was a girl my family visited my great-grandparents. Sometimes, we stayed in a small house that belonged to one of their daughters near their home. It didn’t have indoor plumbing. There was no bathroom other than an outhouse. This meant, if a call from nature occurred during the night it was a good idea to have a make-shift latrine like an old coffee can or Pepsi bottle on hand. Water wasn’t easily accessible, either. We had to draw the drinking and bath water from a deep well on the property. That’s the coldest and best tasting water ever, but cleaning up was tricky and always left me feeling like it wasn’t good enough.
I took a few piano lessons when I was in elementary school, but my heart wasn’t in tune to learning. This is something I came to regret as I got older. I wish my mother made me to stick with it. Sure, I might have hated it, but I know I would have thanked her for it as an adult.
There’s a flicker in my memory looking at the lamp in this picture. Something about it reminds me that my grandparents or great-grandparents used oil lamps to light their home and I recall thinking how difficult it was to see by. I wish I remembered more, but I know one thing I’m sure happy to live in a time with all the creature comforts of home. 😀
For a virtual tour inside President Johnson’s home, click here. Thanks for popping in and joining the Wordless or Not-so-Wordless Wednesday fun. Have a fototastic day!
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21 Comments
Janie Junebug
I love the writing desk, and especially, the piano! My mom didn’t have to insist that we continue our piano lessons. We wanted to play. What great photos.
Love,
Janie
Cathy Kennedy
Janie, The writing desk is beautiful. I would love to have one like it someday. Although, I bailed on piano I did play flute in school from three years. Unfortunately, I forgot how to read music and while I can place my fingers on the keys properly I don’t know what notes I’m playing or anything. *sigh* I think if I could find some online lessons that it would be a snap for me to pick it up again.
indah nuria Savitri
Love your series of photos and it’s always amazing to see some mementos from the brilliant past. I love the tone you’re choosing as well for those photos :). Cheers..
Cathy Kennedy
Indah, I’m glad you’re enjoying this short series. History is fascinating and to see it up close and personal stirs my imagination and increases my appreciation on many levels. Thanks for dropping by for a peekie! 😉 Have a good weekend, my friend!
Rorybore
Imagine writing at that desk!! I would actually WRITE – no computers. 🙂
I remember my grandparents still having one of those wash basins on a table in the bedroom — even though their home had indoor plumbing – 2 bathrooms even! – by the time I came along. I guess sometimes the old way is best. We use oil lamps outdoors during our camping trips, and while they are great in the woods, I probably would not try to read by them either.
Cathy Kennedy
Les, if we lived in those days we’d definitely be doing a lot of writing to record or thoughts or to communicate with others across the miles. I think the old ways of doing things has a romantic sorta nostalgia connected with it, but I don’t know if it’s sometimes the best way of doing things. Although life was simpler, it was certainly a harder one. I think I’m happy with just daydreaming about the good ole days while enjoying my indoor bathroom, microwave, machine washer, computer, mobile phone, …. 😀 Have a good weekend, dearie!
Arlee Bird
It doesn’t look like too bad of a place to live.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
Cathy Kennedy
Lee, it’s a very nice home. The part of the house I was able to photograph inside was the only portion opened to the public. It comprised of the parlor, bedroom/study downstairs, and two bedrooms upstairs. The rest of house had to be accessed by first going outside to the wrap-around porch for entrance. I can’t recall, if that part of the house is an add-on or original. It wasn’t uncommon for older homes like this to have entrances from one point only. This makes me think of an old boarding house in the small town I grew up once owned by the coal mines. It was a two-story building, which sorta makes one think of motel. This old house was bought or rented by a family of 10, maybe more, kids who were related to me. It was a drafty place and heated with wood burning stove on the lower level. I don’t recall, how the rest of house got heated. You had to go outside to get to the one bathroom. That was really rough in the winter. I spent the night there once and I was cold the entire time. I would imagine living in the President’s home would be similar to this, though. Modernization is a wonderful thing.
Arlee Bird
Yeah, I’ve gotten too soft for primitive living. If I had to go outside to go to the bathroom I’d start wearing diapers to bed.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
Cathy Kennedy
Lee, that’s why chamber pots were an essential item in the home in those days. Can you image the expression on President Johnson’s face, if you suggested diapers? That would be comical to see, don’t you think? Thankfully, you and I don’t have to worry with these sorts of living circumstances. Have a good evening!
Raquel Jiménez Lastras
Gracias por compartir el interior de una casa tan interesante y con tanta historia.
Saludos
Raquel
Cathy Kennedy
Raquel, since I do not read or speak Spanish I visited Google to get a quick translation of your comment. This is what I got….
Thank you for visiting, my friend. I hope you did not have any trouble reading my blog in English, if you did please notice I added the Google Translator widget to my site in the upper right corner. Hopefully this will solve future problems for non-English speaking/reading viewers. 😀
stevebethere
What a lovely place and grand too 🙂
Have a marblefulltastic week Cathy 🙂 🙂
Cathy Kennedy
Thanks, Steve! You have a funtastic day, too.
Oh My Heartsie Girl
Great photos of all the rooms, I love the history of past presidents. Good that there were great photos. Thanks for sharing!!
Cathy Kennedy
Karren, thanks for dropping in! I count myself blessed to live in an area so rich with history. I hope when the weather warms a bit with the return of new life to our world that we can visit more historical sites nearby even those we’ve visited in the past. It’s just great fun to take this all in again and again. Have a good week. Now, to hop over to see what’s going on with you!
Patrick Weseman
Very beautiful. I love all the period pieces.
Cathy Kennedy
Thanks for visiting and linking up, Patrick. Have a fun, fototastic week!
Thomas Anderson
Hi, Cathy!
Thanks for the tour of the Andrew Johnson’s Tennessee homestead. The sepia tone effect certainly does transport us back in time. It has a calming effect, doesn’t it, when you escape the hectic pace of the modern world and spend a few minutes in the past? When I was a boy my family vacationed in a rustic log cabin in the mountains of northern PA. It was a 50 yard trek to the outhouse. When I flicked on the lights first thing this morning, it occurred to me, as it did you, that we are living in an age of creature comforts. How many of us appreciate all that we have? How many take it all for granted? On Monday, Mrs. Shady and I visited the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art and saw their magnificent Roaring Twenties era Venetian style mansion located on Sarasota Bay.
https://www.ringling.org/ca-dzan
Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend Cathy!
Cathy Kennedy
Tom, I grew up in southern WV. In my early years, my folks didn’t have indoor plumbing; when I was around 6 my parents bought a house that once belonged to a mining company that had running water and bathroom. Of course being a kid I didn’t know think anything of not have these conveniences, but NOW I would die (this is an exaggeration) without them. lol I checked out the link you provided. The mansion looks pretty amazing and it must have been a blast to tour. If you’re ever in Asheville, NC (that’s just over the mountain from Knoxville 2-hours)area you and Mrs. Shady may want to visit the Biltmore Estate. It’s a beautiful place. We visited once at Christmas in the mid-80s and then again in late winter of 2008. I really want to go another time, but when the spring flowers are on show. I would love to photograph the grounds with all the colors on display. Thanks for stopping by, my friend. Have a good day!
Jill Foley
Thank you for your kind words!
I always tell my violin students that I’ve never met anyone who was thankful their parents let them quit their music lessons – everyone always says they wish their mom/dad had made them continue!