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On a cold rainy day in December
of 2007 I was helping a realtor friend organize
her end of the year paperwork. As we were working
she noticed a new property listing on the computer.
The address showed it to be just around the corner.
We decided to take a break and go look at it.
We turned down a small lane, drove past an abandoned
house with boarded up windows and pulled into
the driveway. We stepped up onto the porch and
opened the door with an old skeleton key. Upon
entering the long abandoned house we found room
after room full of bags and boxes filled with
years of days gone by. There was also a basement
and garage filled to the ceilings with intriguing
crates and I was most definitely intrigued. I
raced home to tell my husband of this fascinating
find.
Due to illness my husband and
I had lost our jobs three years prior. With extreme
medical expenses we also lost our home of 20 years
and depleted our entire savings. We had been living
in poverty after a lifetime of working in the
auto sales business. Three weeks prior to entering
the old house my husband had received a small
settlement from a lawsuit that he had been fighting
for three years. We had been agonizing over how
to invest this money to our greatest advantage
in order to secure our future. I felt this old
house might just be our ticket out of our situation.
After a little genealogy research we found that
the house had been built and occupied by the Conlon
family since 1872.
My husband and I went back to the old house the
following day with our contractor friend. While
he deemed the house structural sound, he looked
at me as if I was crazy. Knowing me and my husband's
disabilities he couldn't believe we would be able
to empty "the trash" that filled this
five bedroom house. Secure in the knowledge that
the house was sound I made an offer of half the
asking price with the stipulation that everything
in the house stayed. Also deeming me crazy, the
attorney handling the sale jumped at my offer.
We closed in three weeks.
Keys in hand we began our adventure back in time.
My first task was to clear a space and set up
a small table and chairs and a single bed for
what would be our much needed breaks. My husband
and I spent every waking hour rummaging and sorting
through 128 years of a family's lives. In a short
time we began to know each and every member of
the household. John and Mary Conlon came to our
little town from Ireland in 1872 and built a solid
home to begin their lives in America. The house
was next to a small train depot and watering tower.
John took a job with the Erie Railroad and eventually
became an engineer. Mary set up a laundry service
for the railroad in their basement. They had five
children in this house . The house was not ornate
but it was built with solid family values and
filled with love, learning, music, and laughter.
John was a well read man and
was fascinated with machines of all types, telegraphs,
typewriters, tools, bicycles, and household gadgets.
When the time came to purchase the family's first
automobile, John really did his research. He wrote
to every company that even thought about manufacturing
an automobile before he chose his new Hudson.
There are many letters from cousins and other
family members to the Conlons about their joyful
long rides. The car was a pleasure vehicle initially.
The two older Conlon boys were about to enter
college, one at Colgate University, the other
at Cornell. The car brought them home on weekends
to savor mom's cooking, get their laundry done,
and check on their younger sister's suitors.
Over the years the auto held
a special place with the Conlons. After 53 years
with the railroad John Conlon bought a small service
station in town and continued his love of the
automobile to the end of his days.
To each of you who chooses to purchase this literature,
know that these were the treasures lovingly preserved
for 100 years by a man who came to this country
with a dream and was proud to be an American and
to be a part of its growth.
This is the story of just one of the crates we
found in this old house. The rest of what we have
uncovered is an entire book. The old house is
empty now and we are beginning the process of
updating it and plan to move in by June of this
year. John Conlon did not just build a house,
he built a home, one that we want to be a part
of. Thanks to John Conlon's hard work and family
values my husband and I will once again have a
home of our own that we are proud to share with
the Conlon legacy.
The next time you drive by an old boarded up house
and utter to yourself " That old eyesore
should be torn down", try to envision the
house when it was a home. It will warm your heart.
You never know what treasures a family's love
can leave behind for you to find and carry on.
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When
Monica and her husband Frank Maus contacted
us we weren't quite sure what we were going
to find in the collection. But the Conlons
had carefully preserved the literature with
Borax powder, which Robert recognized as
a popular means for the period of preserving
papers and protecting them against damage.
It did a great job other than rusty staples.
And when Monica told us that she intended
to write a book we also wondered what we
were getting into. With the above as an
example of her writing skills, I cannot
wait until the book comes out. I suspect
that I will not be able to put it down.
If she will keep us posted we will let our
readers know when it is available for sale.
— Sharon McLellan
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Are early automobiles increasing
in value? A look at the October 2007 Hershey's
auction results tells the story — very old
cars are desirable, valuable, expensive and great
investments...
1911
Oldsmobile sold for $1,650,000
1912
Locomobile sold for $660,000
As the cars go up in price, so does the value
of literature. Here is an opportunity to buy early
brochures before everyone else learns what you
now know. Click here to see more 1904-06
automotive literature.
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We would
like to hear the story behind your literature
collection — and so would our readers! |
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