Alice Moses House, Cape Charles, Virginia

Alice Moses House, October 2005

day one, background

Just starting this whole blog thing, for all I know it'll be a major fumble...but I'm intrigued.

Last year, September 2004, J. (husband) & I did a road trip through Virginia's eastern shore. To make it short, at the very end of our trip we spent a couple of hours touring Bay Creek (a planned golf community) on the Virginia tip of the Delmarva pennisula. As part of that tour we drove through Cape Charles and I was enchanted. I went back by myself for a couple of days in October & stayed at a really lovely B&B called Sterling House. Was still in love w/the area & the Bay.

Early this fall I convinced J. to go back with me for an overnight & a 'let's see' house hunt. Which is where the story really begins, we found the Alice Moses House. After much discussion we placed an offer, it was accepted, and if all goes on schedule we should close on the house in mid-November.

The Alice Moses House is named for it's owner, Alice Moses. (Sorry if that's obvious.) Alice has a history but I'm not sure of it & won't mangle the stories now...they'll be posted in future posts. The house was built in 1909 and over it's long life eventually fell into severe disrepair. Steve Hairfield (of previously mentioned Sterling House B&B) rescued the little house & set about restoring it. The house was in such sad shape, Steve kept what he could of the original but also had to replace a lot. Currently the house has new walls (on the old frame); all new electric, plumbing, etc.; new windows (except for the salvaged stained glass windows Steve installed in various locations); new roof, new interior walls.

When we take over the house we'll be adding floors (what's there now is very patchy), all the kitchen fittings, bath fittings, doors, painting...and so on. It's a gorgeous shell now and soon will have it's heart restored.