I don't know exactly when the house above came into the possession of the Hamblin family. They may have built it themselves, upon moving to Winchell Mountain in the 1770s, or they may have bought it from someone else. In any case, they definitely owned it and were living there as early as 1867, and probably quite a bit earlier. This is the house where my great-great-great grandparents, James (1841-1924) and Frances Collier Hamblin (1841-1917) lived and raised their two children, my great-great grandfather Myron George Hamblin (1868-1959) and Marion Mace Hamblin (1882-1965). In the photograph above, which was taken around 1900, Frances and Myron (in chairs) are seated on the front porch with Marion on the steps.
Below is the house as it appeared last Sunday.
I was thrilled when I saw it. While my first choice would have been to keep it in the family (so much for that - the family moved off Winchell Mountain for good in 1924) my second choice would be that it would find an owner who would care for it and preserve its historic character, and that's exactly what has happened. While there have been plenty of changes to the house over the past 115 years, the house is still recognizable and beautifully preserved. I love the contrasting trim, and the landscaping is perfect. I think the Hamblins would be proud.
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