Photo: Carol Foster
Greetings Charles,
I would imagine that you are aware of the "happening" in Butler this morning. Just in case you haven't seen a picture, I thought I would provide one for you. This was taken first hand, this morning as the Troutman house crawled from Main Street to the new destination on N. McKean Street.Carol Foster
5 comments:
I watched them move the house and it was amazing what these guys can do. I'm also glad that this historic house was saved from the Armstrong Utilities wrecking ball. Armstrong is putting a parking lot in its place. Butler has lost a lot of its charm over the years due to decisions to erase town history in favor of commercial growth and expansion. We are all losers if this trend continues unchecked. Thanks to the Simons of Allison Park, PA for there investment to save history and eventually move into this historic house in this little western PA town.
The shots showing the Troutman house being moved were very interesting. It appears that the house was originally located on Main Street but it would be interesting to know from what exact location to just where on Mckean St.
Don Carlson
Palatine, Il
Don,
The house was built at 421 North Main Street in 1888 by Joseph Colestock, an oilwell "Wild Catter"
for his wife Annna(White) as a wedding gift. The original house consisted of an entry hall with free hanging curved staircase, a formal parlor, a library, and a diningroom/ballroom/musicroom. In these early days the dining table as well as chairs were pushed to one side of the room so it could be used for dancing and music as well as dining. The second floor consisted of three very large bedrooms and a very small bathroom, novel at the time. The bathtub is only four feet long and the toilet and sink are smaller than normal, the whole room measures only four by six feet!
There is also a gabled walk-up attic/ servant's area. The rear rooms now on the rear of the home were added at some point over the next 20 to 30 years as times and family sizes changed. In these additions were also expanded second floor servant's rooms and stairway, a kitchen as well as office on the first floor. There was also an indoor basement stairway added, before this time the cellar was accessed throught a trap door and stairway from the exterior rear porch. The home now resides at 406 North McKean Street, a virtual half block "U turn" from its original Main Street location.
Best regards to all!
Bob Olson, Unofficial Historic Researcher For The Simons' (The New Owners)
Bob,
Thanks for the great info on the Troutman house. Now, we can visualize better the locations. Both Mrs. Carlson and I were raised in Butler, many, many yers ago, and like to keep up with what is happening there. We'll make it a point to find the house the next time we visit Butler.
Don Carlson
This is so surreal-- my grandmother, Mary Alice Potter, owned the house and lived there from 1977 until a few years before her death in 1999. I remember many good times in that house-- helping her with her plants in the greenhouse, lunch on the 2nd floor sunporch (in the picture, barely visible at the rear of the right side of the house). She was a collector (maybe from her experiencing the Great Depression) and hated to throw away anything, so the attic and basement were filled with all kinds of interesting things from over the years (and I helped her sort through many of those interesting things.)
Thanks for posting this picture.
-Ted Potter
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