A tour of Montgomery

Many of you know that I have started working on another book project - this time about the town I live in, Montgomery. This postcard shows the (c. 1906) construction of the "mansion" in town, the William Decker home, which is about 1/2 block from my house.

(click on the images for a close-up view)

and here is a postcard of the finished house (c. 1908)
and here is the house as it looks today...
Last night, Rachael & I went over to this house for a tour by the woman who now lives there. She's a wonderful lady with lots of stories - and an insanely huge doll collection. At the top of the turret, behind the circle of windows, you will find....
this collection of dolls involved in a wedding celebration/tea party!



Today, I drove around town and took pictures of some of the other century-old and beautifully restored homes...this one is next door to the Decker home.

This one is on Kinsey Street.

The next two are on Montgomery Street.

This one is on Houston Ave.

and below is the BACK of the house, with the stairs leading up the hill to its back yard...

But, as with most towns, Montgomery has it's share of rundown, blighted homes...
this one also has a tragic story...a few years ago, a man killed his wife on the second floor and barricaded himself for a few hours against the local police.

and here are factories that once provided work for the townspeople, but have since been shut down and the buildings abandoned.