It’s finally happened: Westport has run out of old houses.
Well, sort of.
Our “This Old House” series has come to an end. The Westport Historical Society has no more mystery houses to identify, prior to its upcoming show on the changing face of Westport.
Every Wednesday for 3 months, “06880” readers have seen an image of a local home, taken in 1930s by WPA photographers. Some of them had vague notations on the back — “Green’s Farms,” for example — and WHS house historian Bob Weingarten asked for crowd-sourcing help.
You guys nailed the correct location of 9 of the 14 houses displayed — not too shabby. Especially considering that many of the houses have undergone substantial renovations — and some are no longer standing.
They sure don’t make ’em like this anymore.
Before the series began, the WHS had identified 101 houses out of 133 photos. They’re now up to 110.
The WHS also has priceless historic information about some of the homes, thanks to “06880”‘s superbly alert and knowledgeable readers.
The Historical Society will display the WPA photos in November. That exhibit will highlight differences between the 1930s images and today’s houses. There will also be human interest articles on the house owners; historical and architectural details about the houses, and information on famous people who lived in several of them.
In the meantime, if you have any interesting photos — of homes, or places of interest in town — that you’d like identified, send ’em along. The “06880” crowd is ready to source!