“Sometimes you just need to lie on the couch and read for a couple of years.” ~ Unknown
room with a view
There’s a little project that landed in my lap last week, and I’ve been working on it for a couple of days. Today, I had the opportunity to meet the project and photograph her. She’s 115 years old, and despite being in the center of town with virtually everything around her destroyed in the 2012 tornado, she survived with surprisingly minor damage. That alone is a miracle. This is the Caskey House in downtown West Liberty. My second-grade teacher, Oshie Caskey, lived here most of her life. I was never inside the house until today. Two of her three children lived here in their elder years. About two months ago, the remaining child, Joy, held an estate sale and sold the house to a forward-thinking, preservation ally, Becky Wells Goodpaster. There’s much more to come from this house, but for now, I’ll simply say that the house has been saved from anyone with ideas of tearing her down and building another Dollar Store. She is being saved and restored by Becky and her family and will undoubtedly be a diamond in West Liberty’s crown when she’s done. Or perhaps a ruby, since Oshie loved the color red. She was a unique woman who left behind an exceptional house. I’m excited to document as much as I can about her. This work is precisely why I went through the historic preservation program, and I’m very fortunate to help Becky see her dreams come true.
survivor
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