What stories this house could tell.
Any individual who has observed the goings on in a given place for a period of time can tell you that there are interesting things happening all the time. If you can imagine the stories this house could tell of the history it has seen, they would be as varied and interesting as her history itself.
As an example, if you’ve ever had breakfast in our luxurious dining room, with its quarter-sawn oak walls and period murals depicting Victorian life, you would never guess that the room once housed a motorcycle gang and at least one large Harley Davidson. Yet such is the story shared by one guest who had rented an upstairs room years prior to the restoration of the home.
During renovations a good sized pocket, carefully carved into the top of the door in Mrs. Hancock’s room was discovered, who can guess what it as for? Would the house tell of rare jewels stored there for safe keeping, or a snifter hidden for cold evenings? The Hancock House, apparently had custom over-sized picture rails made for one third floor room, during refinishing, peculiar intentional grooves were found on the top of the over-sized picture rails. Given that the third floor was reserved for child-care & instruction, could it be this room was where the young boys played? Did they perhaps place their toy trains on these shelves at night? Since the walls cannot say one way or the other, the room has been named the “Train Room”.
Your host would be delighted to chat with you about any number of these and other stories about the Hancock House and the treasures within. Such stories can not only heighten the charm of your stay here, but also add to your understanding of days now past; of Tiffany-windowed churches and grand public buildings, riverboats and horse-drawn trolleys, and most of all, the people that brought life to times that would otherwise be naught but dusty history now.