Ironton couple restores home to its historical condition

IRONTON -- When asked why she and her husband Philip chose to restore their home to its former historically correct condition, Cheryl Willis didn't need long to answer.

"If we don't save our history, we lose a vital part of ourselves," she said.

This lovely salmon-colored brick was built in 1860 by C.T.M. Kemp and has gone through numerous stages of grandeur and neglect prior to its life being saved by the Willises.

Why save this particular house?

"Cheryl walked by this house on her way to school every day as a kid," Philip said.

She noticed the old house and became intrigued by it as year after year she passed by it. Cheryl Willis grew up and left Ironton to see the world. However, after a few years she and her husband returned. They found the house was scheduled to be torn down, and they just couldn't help themselves. They bought it.

Even though a previous family had started restoration, what was left to do was daunting. The exterior walls are 18 inches thick, however, there were places where the mortar had washed away and one could look through the spaces between the bricks to the inside of the house. Cheryl Willis remembered that every time they mowed the grass, they had to pick up bricks from where they had fallen off the house.

"I told my husband if the house ever made me cry we could sell it," she said. "When the back wall to the family room fell in, I came close."

Needless to say, this is a labor of love for the Willises.

Once the house belonged to them, they rolled up their sleeves, opened their wallets and went to work. Having the brick repaired, repointed and sandblasted was one of the first items on the agenda.

"Over time the mortar in the joints gave out, so the company we hired took out the bricks and put in fresh mortar," Philip Willis said. "Then they sandblasted it."

"People lined up outside to look at the difference," Cheryl Willis added. "What was once coal black turned out to be a soft salmon-colored brick. We just had no idea the difference it would make."

Even though the house was in bad shape when they bought it, they were assured it was structurally sound. Once the brick was repaired, new plumbing, electricity, heating and more quickly followed. Some repairs were difficult to find craftsmen to restore. They wanted to refinish the floors but couldn't find anyone to tackle the task.

"Finally a man in Russell (Ky.) said he could do it, and we had good results," Philip Willis said. "He even disassembled the banisters on the stairway and reassembled them."

An interesting fact about the woodwork in the home is that it has few if any nails holding it together.

"They are biscuit and grooved together," Cheryl Willis said.

Cheryl Willis has steeped herself in the architecture and the decor of the period in which the house was built. Consequently when a room is painted it is the actual color of the time period as is the coordinating wallpaper. Cheryl Willis does all the painting and wallpapering herself.

Even though Cheryl and Philip have attempted to be historically correct in their restoration, they have used some 21st century materials to accomplish their goals. Examples include a front porch made of composite decking and a cobblestone patio that is actually decorative concrete.

From plaster to plumbing, the Willises have lovingly restored their beautiful pre-Civil War home.

"We just love the history and character of the house," Cheryl Willis said.

They even love the supposed ghost who resides with them. For many years Ironton residents have maintained the house was haunted but Cheryl Willis hasn't encountered any evidence to support that claim.

Perhaps that's because the ghost knows it has found the perfect couple to take care of the house.