The Front Door

In an earlier post, I promised to take some pictures of the door knobs and the front door.  Since I haven't posted those yet, I thought today we could take a detailed look at the front door.

A doorway is often thought of as a passageway - it separates inside from outside.  When you walk through the door, you are transformed, entering a new space or leaving a space behind.  Doors provide a transition point.  Even the sound of the door makes opening and closing can transport you in time and space.  

This is the main front door that leads into the front room of the house.  I can hear this screen door slamming in my memory and suddenly it's summertime and I'm 10 years old running through the house.  I can hear Mamaw fussing about me, my brother and my cousins running through the house.  I can see my Mom, Robin, and Mamaw sitting at the table with a cold Coca-Cola in a styrofoam cup, a plate of sliced tomatoes and an aluminum pie pan of cold biscuits.  The Young and the Restless or some other soap opera (which they referred to as 'the stories') was always on the television.  

When I was young, the house did not have central heat and air, so in the summer the doors and windows were open and there were box fans everywhere.  Mamaw propped box fans up in the windows and in the doorways between the rooms to move the air through the house.  Even today, when I hear a box fan running, I always think of Mamaw's house.  Since the front door was open, the screen door was the only thing keeping us in or out and it transported us A LOT.  The handle has been replaced more than once, but this screen door has been hanging here forever, proudly proclaiming "W" for Williams.  

I've done enough research for this blog and this house to know the front entry door is most certainly an antique.  We've talked before about the blending of Victorian and American Craftsman styles at the beginning of the 1900's.  This door is further evidence the house was built before 1935.  This is a single panel wood entry door combining the clean lines and sharp corners of the craftsman style with just a touch of the ornate detail of the victorian era (see photo below of detail around the glass).  

Interior side of front door

The door knob is also a combination of the Victorian and American Craftsman styles.  The Victorian knobs were similar in shape, but held much more ornate detail and swirling patterns.  The Victorian style also boasted large backplates, as opposed to the tiny backplates we have today.  I was able to find similar door knobs and backplates on ebay and on antique hardware store sites.  The dates for these are all around 1900.  These door knobs are throughout the house, with the same backplates.  Nearly every door has a skeleton key hole.  I believe they are some kind of copper.  The deadbolt on this door was clearly added later.  😉

The two photos below are a bell system, which was also popular in Victorian era homes.  On the outside of the door was a button that could be pushed.  Other models had a knob or a turn-key mechanism that could be twisted.  Turning the key or pushing the button struck the bell on the other side, indicating a visitor.  In some old houses, this system ran through the house as a signaling system for the butler.  

I was able to find a nearly identical turn key doorbell on an antique site.  It is circa 1900, which further supports my thoughts about the birth date of this particular house being well before the tax records indicate.  

Mom and Lynn were able to verify for me this door bell had a button.  Lynn said you pushed the button and the door jingled like a bell.  🔔

We are planning to do some cleaning up and polishing up of the front door, but it will remain as it is.  If you know much about me, you know I love a colorful front door.  But this one - it is staying as it is, just polished up a bit. I am hoping to replace the bell button if I can find something perfect.  Otherwise, the door will remain rich with history and opening to a new space and a new adventure.  💜

Research for this post came from the following websites (among others):

• http://www.psychologycentre.co.nz/the-symbolism-of-doors.html
• https://www.historichouseparts.com/antique-half-glass-oak-exterior-door-circa-1900.html
• https://www.build.com/product/summary/1518222?uid=3561794&jmtest=gg-gbav2_3561794&inv=1&&source=gg-gba-pla_3561794!c1045498305!a55076960521!dc!ng&gclid=CjwKCAjwt8uGBhBAEiwAayu_9UTh10US4NWoZnEkasXdeqKJoCM2RALSQJZs_p7ZmDFpK3IyQF1BYRoCPtUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
• https://www.houseofantiquehardware.com/solid-brass-beaded-oval-door-plate-in-antique-by-hand
• https://archive.curbed.com/ad/17101030/history-of-the-doorbell-nest-hello
• https://www.eddonaldson.com/victorian-rotary-door-bell-360-493.html
• http://www.kristinholt.com/archives/17472