Time Travel Thursday #12 - Historical New England Architecture

"We all have our time machines. Some take us back, they're called memories.

Some take us forward, they're called dreams."
~Jeremy Irons~

Welcome to the 12th Time Travel Thursday linky party at The Brambleberry Cottage!

Are you ready to share your fondest memories, grandest dreams,

and most creative projects? Great!

Well, this week, my post is going to take a slightly different twist. 

Normally, I would post about a recent project for this party.  But I have so many new

projects in the works that none have been completed!

Can you relate?

Instead, I decided to share some of the incredible 1700 and 1800s 

New England architecture I photographed during my extended stay there,

a number of weeks ago.

One of the observations I made about the older architecture of

New England was that everything seems to be on a much grander scale.

For instance, this wonderful old, sprawling Victorian

was graced with the most mangificent—and incredibly large—corbels.

And even its simple stoops were embellished with 

the most decorative porticos.

I could have taken, literally, dozens of photos of stoops on houses with very similar

porticos—each bearing its own unique design.  It must have

been a very common decorative element for certain house styles during the mid-1800s.

Everything about the older houses I saw was a tribute to

the artisans who designed and built them.

Just take a look at the window trim, the gable shingles, the porch columns,

and the railing on the grand dame above.

These beauties were built at a time during our nation's history when

attention to detail was the norm.

I really loved this sweet, old cottage—with its Gothic embellishments. 

Too bad I can't move it to my little farm in NC; I'm sure it would look fantastic here!

Of course, the traditional elements of design—ones typically associated

 with our country's forefathers—were also quite prevelant.

This door surround, with its impressive pediment, was so

massive that I felt dwarfed standing next to it!

Even the public buildings of antiquity—like this post office in Old Deerfield...

and this amazing old church...

and even this old town hall in Hatley—oozed with character and charm...

traits only age and time can adequately produce.

After weeks of touring New England, visiting dozens of these incredible

testaments to creative craftsmanship, the old adage "it's all

in the details" rings even more true to me!   ; )