Back to the Fireplaces Part 1

There are a total of 5 fireplaces in the Horner House. Eric took some pictures so I can give you all a “fireplace tour”.

We’re going to start in the upstairs front bedroom. The fireplace is on the south side of the room, across from the door. There are no windows on the south wall of this room, only on the east wall. While the mantel has been stripped from this one, the front tiles appear to be in excellent condition. The floor tiles are still covered by what is left of the ceiling. The debris will need to be removed carefully to keep from scratching or furthering damage on the tiles. And luckily, the metal surround has not been damaged or stolen.

Next is the back bedroom. This room currently has a connecting doorway to the front bedroom through the east wall. There are 2 large windows on the south wall and the fireplace is on west wall. This fireplace has it’s mantel and metal surround. Again, the tiles on the front are in excellent condition. Enough of the debris has been removed from this room to see some of the floor tiles. Although covered with plaster & dust, they actually appear to be in good condition. The inside looks pretty clean, which makes me wonder how much this one has been used in the past.

The last room on the 2^nd floor is called the library. Here are 2 pictures of the wall & floor where the chimney comes up from the first floor. It doesn’t look like there was ever a fireplace in this room.

Or perhaps, it was removed so long ago that no traces remain. It will be interesting, as we continue working on the house, to see if there is any hidden evidence of an old fireplace. I think there likely was one but Amanda & Eric don’t think so. Wonder if we’ll ever be able to tell who is right?