Our home, the Tee-Shaped Farmhouse, is one of the most predominate styles anyplace east of the Rocky Mountains.
The Tee-Shaped Farmhouse evolved from a British symmetrical style called the center-hall or hall and parlor house. The house was side-gabled, two rooms wide and one room deep with the central front door opening into a small vestibule.
The house was balloon construction and a simple style so most local carpenters could build it. Construction is solid oak timbers, stone foundation and crawlspace. Like many other farmhouses of the era, this home used long, vertical windows to allow light to flow into the house from the outside.
Additions to the basic 1900s structure include two indoor bathrooms, the back porch - now kitchen and family room, and the side porch - now my office space.
CIRCA 1960
Anna Shimkus purchased the property in the 60s, along with 150 acres that stretched from the end of Skymeadows Drive in St. Louis county to the Meadow Forest subdivision in Franklin county.. We think there was indoor plumbing at the time, but are not sure. Her family raised cattle (we still have evidence with an old cattle shoot down by the barn), and they would graze the hillside where now stands our orchard, vegetable garden and garden shed..
Looking at this photo, which was taken from the current orchard field, there is no back porch and no 4-car garage. There is a chicken coop up on the hillside above the barn and the old garden shed in the field. (See HOUSE PHOTOS for more on the transformation of the home.) The property was fenced from the front yard to the barn, and cross fenced up through the fields.
At one point, they decided to add a large porch across the entire back of the house and we believe the side porch. The kitchen was located in what is now the dining room. It included a window at the sink which looked out over the back field (see the two windows on the left of the porch).
THE FARM 2021
A lot has happened in the past 17 years. We were excited to be able to purchase 9 acres here, from the original homestead that we understand was 150 acre cattle farm. Yet we were disappointed that the way the land was surveyed, we did not actually own our own barnyard.
Our patience won out when we were able to purchase an additional 3.67 acres, so we now own our road and barnyard as of 2011.with a total of 12.56 acres.
After 17 years and five years in the planning, we have decided to sell this farm and move to a new location in Virginia. Please check out THE BIG MOVE.
