I recently found out that my father's side of the family has been here much longer than I realized. Today I took a tour of the old homestead which is registered with the Historical Society of Kitsap County out on one of the peninsulas. It is called Woodpecker Hill. It also served as the first school in the area for five or so children. This is the original one room house built by my great great grandfather, Nels, in 1870. In 1870 the Kitsap Peninsula was so heavily forested with massive trees that you would not see the sky if you looked up. This is the farmhouse built by Nels in 1888. This is the first view as one comes up the drive. To the left of the house is an amazing view of the Olympic Mountains. My photos of the view were not too good. another side of the house. Kitchen. The current owner told me that the walls of the house are solid wood and five inches thick. When he decided to put up some sheetrock he said that the place was constructed so plumb and square that he had no trimming to do. The craftsmanship of this Norwegian immigrant is still amazing people to this day. There were no lumber mills yet and the hand hewn timbers look as though they were finished with a pocket knife. Here is another home on the property also built by Nels for his daughter and her family. When they moved to Port Gamble in 1919 the youngest son Leonard, my great grandfather moved in and my grandfather and his twin sister were born in this house. Sadly it is not restored or lived in and is in a state of disrepair. I hope someone finds a way to to fix this up someday! The current owner works with a conservancy group and is passionate about planting native trees on his 80 acres. Our tour guide for the tree walk (not the property owner) is an arborist and we really enjoyed his telling about champion trees (trees of great size) and trees of cultural and historical significance. He was very excited about a 200 year old cottonwood on the property. That is apparently the top range of their life span. He has a tree nursery and propagates from the champion trees and the historical trees. As a parting gift he gave me a potted tree that he started from the 200 year old cottonwood. There is something significant about that for me and it has to do with the roots both figurative and literal. muddy
Isn't it great to take a trip bad in time.I would love to go to Edgefield (Butler County) South Carolina thats where my mothers family settled after coming from England. I know you are proud of that little Cottonwood its part of your past.
Muddy I love family history!! I'm glad you found the properties and that you were allowed inside the main house. What did it feel like stepping over the threshold of the building Nels built? Were you excited - I know I would have been :-D Isn't it a shame that we no longer have many 'real' craftsmen left? Their work is astonishing as they didn't have the benefits of power tools. Nels probably saw the great grandaddy of your little cottonwood when it was just a sapling - fantastic!!!! I hope your little tree grows well for you because, as you say, it's part of your roots figuratively and literally. I'm so pleased you managed to see into your families past.
I love family history too! And that is so great that you have a sapling of a tree planted by your ancestors!! Your great grandfathers house looks like it wouldn't take too much to make it livable again. I love the old door and the fancy window on the left! They just don't make houses like that any more...a real shame.
Great pics and narration ! I researched my Dad's side of the family and I never had so much fun in my life! It was like unravelling a mystery. I was able to trace it back all the way to the 1750's. I also came up with my great, great grandfather's Civil War record. I found out where he fought and the different battles that he was in. Great job!
Thanks for the pics Muddy. That is one beautiful house. I love old houses and would gladly live in another if I had the chance.
Muddy, what a great experience to find the old family place and it is still there. Just beautiful. And you have a sapling from the that your family might have enjoyed sitting under on warm summer days. So many people buy the land and bulldoze the buildings down here, lots of history is lost.
When the current owner's mother bought the place in the fifties it had been vandalized and the roof had come down. The realtor said she could remove the homes to avoid paying taxes on them. But when she looked closer at the exposed dovetail joints she knew it must be restored and preserved. Our family and the community owe that woman and her son a great deal for having the foresight to preserve the history of some of the first settlers. muddy
What a wonderful opportunity to step back in time and connect with your family history! Thank you for sharing this special experience with us. Isn't it nice to think that the progeny of your new little Cottonwood tree may (in a couple of hundred years time), be treasured by a future family member.
Thats so awesome, Muddy!!!! I have a little rose taken as a cutting from one my great-gram planted near here, and some tulips I dug up at the old homestead. That stuffs so precious! Beautiful homestead, people really put time and love into things back then.
