Originally known as “Tolersville,” this tiny town opted to change its name to “Mineral” in the early 1900s.
Seems that there was gold in them there hills of Louisa County (where Mineral is located), and at its peak, there were 15 gold mines within three miles of the town. Copper, mica and sulfur were also discovered and mined.
On August 23, 2011, Mineral became famous for another reason: An earthquake. At 1:51 pm, a 5.8 magnitude quake was centered in the tiny town, and rattled windows from DC to Norfolk (where I live) and beyond. In Mineral, the roof collapsed on the town hall, and three public schools suffered significant damage. (This earthquake also occurred at be precise moment that my late father’s ashes were scattered. That was more than a little spooky.)
Last week, I drove up to Charlottesville to take a licensing test for Ham Radio (the “Extra” exam). On my way, I drove through Louisa, Gordonsville and Mineral, looking for kit homes.
In Mineral, I only saw one home, The Sears Wexford, but it was a fine-looking house. Next door to the Wexford was a beautiful old church serenading me with heavenly music. I parked my car next to the church for a time and just reveled in the euphonious melodies.
It really was a lovely thing and an unexpected delight.
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The Wexford was also known as The Bridgeport (1936 catalog).
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It was offered in two floorplans, and "B" had a dining room.
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Floorplan A was a bit smaller, with a kitchen nook instead of a dining room.
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The Wexford, as seen in the 1936 catalog.
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Is this a Sears Wexford? Can't say for certain, but I'd guess that it probably is, and my guesses are usually right! 🙂 On this Wexford, the porch is not off the living room, but off of a bedroom (it appears). Note the details around that front porch. It's a good match! I'd love to get inside at some point and check for marked lumber.
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This Wexford is in Cairo, Illinois on Roebuck Road (about 1/2 mile from the site of the original Sears Mill). Years ago, this Wexford was on Sears and Roebuck Road, but when the interstate came through in the 1970s, it sliced the road into two pieces. One side was renamed Sears Road (where the old mill was located), and the other side was named Roebuck Road. On my Garmin, it still shows the two pieces of this old road as "Sears and Roebuck Road." Ah, Sears and Roebuck Road: Married by commerce, divorced by the interstate.
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I hope to be returning to this area in a month or two. If you know of a kit home in this part of the state, please leave a comment below!
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To read about the Sears Kit Homes in Gordonsville, click here.
Or you can read about the Aladdin kit homes in Louisa by clicking here.
Come back tomorrow to read about the kit homes I found in Charlottesville.
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Folks might find it interesting that a Gordon Van Tine #535 survived the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 on Sept 1 1923 which was a 7.9 magnitude in Tokyo Japan. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ffshoe/8610870850/sizes/k/in/photostream/
I have tried several times to see if I could find it now or where it was. No luck, yet.
Kit homes were/are very well built homes contrary to what many people think!
I have looked at a few house plans over the years and I find i like one or two things I like about the houses from the early 20th century:
1) I really like pantries and especially the Butler’s Pantry.
2) I like how the kitchens have direct access to the outside.
3) The fridge, icebox or cooler are just inside the back door.
Some people will find the last one odd but having to drag the groceries half way cross the house to put things away is troublesome to me.