Exploring West Liberty History: 1850 and 2024

Exploring West Liberty History: 1850 and 2024. The George Bailey House #1. In 202, the laundry room located in the 1890s wooden addition was converted to a restroom and was covered with vinyl. The wooden siding and corner post were painted their original colors in 2012, but the vinyl was left to represent this 21st century practice. The retaining wall and water drainage system were added in 2017. , The 1817 layout of Lots 16 and 17 changed in 1834, with the north sides forming one property and the south sides forming another. By 1850, this brick house had been built facing the public square. It sits on the north side of Lot 17 and had space on the north side of Lot 16 for outbuildings., Depending on their needs, families living in a village in 1850 might have used the outdoor space around their house for any of these purposes., A privy, a well or cistern, wood shed, a kitchen garden, compost pile, fruit trees, laundry area, structures for storing tools or housing chickens, a barn for a cow or horse, and a wagon or buggy., The first family to own and live in this brick house was William and Martha J. Pollock. He was a blacksmith as were Harrison McCracken and Thomas Taylor who presumably boarded with the Pollocks and worked with William in the nearby shop. Lucinda Pepple might have been a hired girl, extended family member or friend. In 1850 when the census was taken, Martha was expecting her first child.