10/24/2024
I had written a blog to post yesterday – on my boring drive and arriving into Indiana and setting up the trailer for Craig’s arrival, but I can’t find what I wrote and since today was filled with such greatness I’ll start here.
Craig and I ventured over to the James Murray house early this afternoon and were greeted by Chris and Tina, the folks who have been fixing that place for several years. It was sooooo amazing. We started out by sitting on the front porch and just listening to the stories they knew of the Murrays and of events that had occurred in the house and of the amazing amount of work they had done to refurbish this place. Craig and I were in awe of their efforts and found the stories captivating.
That was followed by a fascinating tour of the entire house – the main floor, the upstairs, the cellar, and after that, the barn. The amount of work they had put into this house was monumental, and it was clear that they had so much respect for the original builders of the house. Everything was kept as original as possible and when objects did not exist in the era of 1850s such as bathrooms and electric lights, they used vintage versions from past generations.
We were asked if we felt James Murray in this house. My answer was that I was in such awe of what Chris and Tina had done and how beautiful the house was that I hadn’t had time to really feel my ancestors. In fact, I feel that I really don’t know James Murray at all. Chris shared with us that James Murray was an architect, and that he believed James had designed the house and had someone build it for him. I walked away thinking I have a LOT of sleuthing to do to learn more about James. He became a much more real character because of this visit.
Both Craig and I felt very lucky to have had this experience today at the James Murray House.
10/24/2024