Then and Now - 509 North Spring Street, Beaver Dam

                                           Who were these finely dressed folks, what was their relationship to each other (why is the lady standing almost out of the staged pose)?   Let's see what we can determine from this photo. 

The style of dress, and even the way that the ladies styled their hair may give us some clues as to the year.  The man sitting on the ground has on a 3-piece suit and a bowler hat, while the ladies are wearing high-wasted, narrow (not hoop) skirts that give an apron appearance.  This might mean that this picture was taken around 1870-1880 (Victorian).  Can we assume that these are working-class folks since the fabric is of a sturdier sort?   It must be around October since many of the leaves have fallen off of the tree.  It is around 1:00 in the afternoon as you can tell by the shadows.  So, now a trip to the register of deeds office in Juneau to further the investigation.

A fire in 1877 destroyed most of the register's records, so a trip over to Guaranty Title Company did the trick.  Thomas Makie acquired most of this area from the United States in 1840, and by 1853 Daniel Bicknell bought it to create a subdivision.  In 1854 Bicknell sold lots 1,2,3, and 4 (which constitutes most of the land under the 4 houses surrounding this home now) to George and Eunice Darrah (he operated a limekiln) who then sold it to Horace and Cynthia Patch (might have been a Captain in the Army of the Republic and maybe an attorney).  They lived here until 1883 when they sold it to Carl Helbing (who ran a drug store).  So, which family is this then: Darreh (the limekiln owner), Patch (the Capt), or Helbing (the drug store owner)?  Could it be that on Oct 18, 1883 (the day that Patch sold the home to Helbing) they wanted to capture this auspicious moment in a photo?

As for the house - Then and Now - although there have been many changes, we can still see clearly that the two houses are indeed one and the same.    The home is now a 2-family home - as has been the fate of many of the larger homes.  I was unable to take the photo in exactly the same spot as the original photographer since there is now a row of trees in the way.  One thing that has become apparent to me is that the street elevations have changed the character of the land - notice that I am standing substantially lower than the Then photographer since in the Now photo we are unable to see the roof as we do in the Then photo.  Notice in the rear of the home that there is a thicket where now stand only homes.  The roof Then is made of cedar shakes, and the dormer, porch and bump-out (on the south) are adorned with scalloped cedar shingles.  There is a barn to the north that is now history - as is the large chimney, and the pretty front porch.  The shutters were purely functional Then, while Now the original shutters have been replaced with those that are purely decorative. 

The Then home has such "clean" lines - no wires (electricity did not arrive until around 1910), no satellite dish, no downspout to distract us.  Maybe it is the color photo that complicates things - I'll try a black and white next time to try and even things up.

What do you know of this home, the families who lived here?  Feel free to add your thoughts.