Southwest Sierra #91 – The Vivian House

While I was writing SS#89 I sent an email to the Forest City Historical Association asking for information on the Vivian House. I got the following response from Glenn Sundstrom: “The house on Main Street next to the meat market was lived in by Cecil and Virginia after their marriage. It is the one Al Hope added onto... It was built earlier as the Lawrence House.” It was past the submission deadline when I got Glenn’s response.

Last week, I gave a more detailed account of Greg Hope’s childhood recollection of his adopted father, Al, having built the Vivian house. After it was published, I got the following email from Cory Peterman regarding Greg’s account.

“I have a few additional comments to your article about Al Hope - Greg had a few things wrong about the Vivian House. It was actually built in 1883 by the Lawrence family, then later purchased by my great-great-great-grandfather Owen Owens. He lived there with his wife and family until his death in 1919. The home stayed in the family until they sold it to Cecil Vivian. I believe this was in the 1940s. Owen’s wife, Laura Evans Owens, died in 1948, and I don’t recall if she sold the house before her death, or if it was her daughters that sold the house after her death.

“Whatever the case, the house was already standing when the Hope family moved into town. Al Hope did not build a new house for the Vivians, but rather, he thoroughly remodeled the existing house and added some additions (see attached photos) including the second-floor extension over the front porch, and the extension at the east wing. As stated in the article, Cecil Vivian and Al Hope salvaged lumber from other homes in town that were in disrepair or that they tore down to use in the remodel.”

In examining the pictures that Cory sent, one can see that it is indeed the same house. Memory is an interesting thing. From the perspective of a little boy, this major remodel did feel like building an entire house! Comparing the two photos of the house, the remodel of the front is unusual. As Cory mentioned, the second-story roof line was pushed out to create that overhang above the front porch. This makes sense for creating more interior space, combined with the historical winter presence of very deep snow that took forever to melt. Extending the porch overhangs created a haven from the snow.

A few historical cabins in Alleghany still have their “snow doors.” These are second-story doors on the gable end that open to nowhere. Deep snow was so common that it made sense to quit shoveling (tunneling out) from the ground floor and simply go out the upstairs snow door. The snow insulated the houses, making them much easier to heat once the snowpack was on the ground. I experienced the effect of “snow insulation” first-hand back in the days when it snowed more. Now, it happens very rarely, and when it does, it doesn’t last all winter.

It is troubling to me that this simple fact has become so politicized that folks don’t like to talk about it or use the words “climate change.” From my perspective and based on the history of the planet, it would be abnormal if the climate did not change. The climate has never been stagnant. Does this make me a climate change denier or believer? I still remember the first time that a person told me they didn’t “believe in climate change” about ten years ago. The reason that I remember it so clearly was because it struck me as an odd statement. It seemed to imply that “climate change” was a religion or something of that nature. I suppose the real crux of the question is if humans are causing or contributing to it and what, if anything, should be done about it.

Correction to last week’s photo caption for the larger photo of the Kenton Mine Crew. According to Underground Gold Miners Museum’s accession record for the photo, the tall man with the widow’s peak is Robert Macklin (father of the donors, so they must have it right). Evidently, his nickname was “Micky,” and that is how Greg remembered his uncle. Robert Macklin did marry Carmen (Veck), Mary Hope’s sister. The man with the crack across his sweater is: Wesley Shadduck who married Al Hope’s Sister Virginia (not Meda).