L ove looking at old houses? Me, too! So whenever there’s an Historic House Tour anywhere within driving distance, I’m there. I really enjoyed the walking tour through Columbia Tusculum, Cincinnati’s oldest neighborhood. Here are some of the photos I took as we walked through up and down the hilly streets, staring up at the Victorian Painted Ladies that overlook the Ohio River.
One of our tour guides told us that this beautiful old home (below) used to be haunted.
She said the owners were awakened every night when the ghost flipped on all the lights and started puffing on a cigar. They said they could smell the smoke!
Then, a few years ago, the house caught on fire–maybe the ghost was careless with his smoking? The house had to be completely restored. During the renovations, the ghost apparently got fed up with the inconvenience and moved on. They haven’t had any sightings (or smellings) since.
This house is next-door to the one that used to be haunted:
The dining room:
I thought the branches they had in the corner of the dining room created an interesting effect:
A little farther down the street, a house that belongs in Mayberry:
I thought this little house was adorable. It reminded me of those Tumbleweed Tiny Houses I showed you a while back:
This Queen Anne Victorian built in 1890 was one of the highlights of the walking tour. It was decorated for Halloween, as you can see! It has a round corner tower with a square base and conical cap. I took a few pictures for you:
Parlor with original stained glass:
A sunny bathroom:
A sweet room for a little girl:
I hope you enjoyed this mini-tour from Columbia Tusculum. I have more homes to show you from the afternoon I spent there, so stay tuned.
A reader sent me a photo of an old home from this neighborhood that she lived in as a girl that I’ll show you tomorrow–you can see how much it has changed since the 1950s! I really enjoyed hearing her stories about what the area was like back then, and I think you will, too.
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Oh thank you for that tour-I loved it! The old house I grew up in was haunted too! I miss the old house but not the ghosts! LoL! All the kids in our neighborhood thought a witch lived there too. All of my old friends still bring up some of the crazy ghosty things that happened in that house(I have a more recent photo of the old house on my blog).
I grew up in north east Los Angeles in the foothills. We had a lot of very old homes there. To this day there is always filming for commercials, TV shows and movies going on somewhere in my old town. Because of the old houses it looks like anywhere USA. And it is not too far from Hollywood. In fact my brothers house was used for a TV series that didn’t last-L.A. Confedential.
I love learning interesting facts about homes and the surrounding areas! There just isn’t anything like older neighborhoods with all of the wonderful history! I am so hooked on your blog because it helps fill that urge for real estate-thanks!
~Tam
Beautiful homes! This first photo made me think of Cincy, the next two reinforced the feeling, then I starting reading. This is a beautiful neighborhood, one I haven’t visited in several years, so I enjoyed your tour. Looking forward to more.
Thank you for your site. I haven’t had a chance to check everything out but I love looking at the houses and how others live. I don’t know if I missed it or not but you mention Cincy a lot..You must live close to there. I live North of there.
Old houses?
You are speaking my love language.
They just don’t build them like they used to. (But I sure try)
i love these, julia. they’re just gorgeous. can’t wait to see the photo tomorrow!
Enjoyed this so much, Julia!
Hope Lily is feeling much better soon!
We’re still busily decorating and decorating. I’d love to have a little snow, to go along with the decorating.
Julia,
Thanks for the tour. Do you know the style of the haunted house? I really like it.
Thanks for the tour!
That bathroom makes me happy…it’s even got a monogrammed towel ready and waiting for me
More fun, thanks so much. I’m hooked on everything! I’ve left you an award on my reno blog, more fun
Fun tour, as always. You have the most fun house tours, Julia. That yellow bath was so fun, especially with the yellow shutters. I’d have never thought to paint the shutters to match the walls.
Sorry to hear about Lily. Sure hope she’s on the mend.
Oh I love the look of the “house that was formerly haunted” (I never knew a house could become “unhaunted.” Huh.), and that little cottage with 515 on the door. Actually, I pretty much love them all.
OMG, that orange/peach dining room! “I thought the branches they had in the corner of the dining room created an interesting effect.” Uh, very diplomatic, Julia. I KNOW that owl hypnotized you with his creepy stare and made you say that!
Also, that yellow bathroom is like living inside of a banana. If I had a bathroom like that, I would not be surprised to find small children licking the walls.
On a nicer note, those giant spider on the exterior of that tan house are some of the best Halloween decorations I have ever seen. Where do you think they found those?
Quincy–you can’t deny that the branches are interesting! Ha. I certainly didn’t expect to find them there. And the owl did make me smile, peeking out at us like that.
Laura–apparently ghosts don’t like the mess and inconvenience of remodeling any more than people do. Maybe you don’t need to hire a ghostbuster to get rid of a ghost–you need to hire a contractor! -Julia
So exciting – I LOVE old houses and these are great to peak inside!
Oooooooo…scary…haunted houses…Great halloween decorations, huh?
I do love old houses. In my dreams I live in a beautifully renovated old Victorian.
Hey there Julia ~ I hope that Lily is feeling better and the rest of you escape the bug…it’s weird but cough drops and hand washing have kept me healthy this fall…I have felt a sore throat coming on several times this season and I just pop a drop and it goes away…weird huh? I like the branches…but you know me…great tour. I love all of those porches…wouldn’t it be a blast for all of us to gather on a porch and discuss houses over a cup of joe? Stay well!
Smiles ~ Ramona
I adore old houses. Thanks!!
Beautiful homes. Thanks for sharing and hope Lily gets well soon.
Those houses are so pretty! I especially like “mayberry” and the house with the spiders. Those spiders rock for Haloween! Where does one find those things?!?!
Great tour; thank you! Any more info on the ex-haunted house?
Sher and Desiree, sorry, but that’s all I know about the house that used to be haunted. It wasn’t actually on the tour. The guide in another house knew the people who lived there and told us about it.
I don’t know where people buy those giant spiders, either. Does anyone else? -Julia
hmm, that ‘haunting’ sounds an awfull lot like an electrical problem somewhere. Something shorts in a wall, trips the lights, smolders a little, then one day gets enough air to really ignite. The old wiring is ripped out in the repairs and the problem is solved. (I’m not very romantic, am I? But I am afraid of some of our wiring)
I like the chandelier in the ‘branches’ dining room. Is that a custom item, or just a basic model with a garland of some sort on it?
Planting Oaks–that doesn’t make for nearly as good a story, though, does it? Oh, and that chandelier didn’t have a garland–it was made like that as far as I could tell. -Julia
Love old houses. Ours is a 1912 Gothic Revival. Great tour, love the little girl’s room. I may have to check out this neighborhood. The only places I’ve visited in Cinci are the zoo, the children’s museum and the stadium. My boys were just there Sunday for the Bengals game! Froze their butts off. LOL
Our house used to be haunted too. After my husband mentioned hearing footsteps upstairs and hearing a man’s voice in the mud room, our neighbors told us that our house used to be a mortuary, and the barn out back was where they processed the bodies. My daughter, 2 at the time, was too afraid of the “scary feet” she said she saw, to go in our son’s room. Spooky, huh? We practically gutted and remodeled the upstairs after a fire, and haven’t heard anything weird since.
I’ve always wanted to live in a Victorian Home, Simply beautiful
Everyone keeps telling us our house is haunted.
I heard a noise like someone trotting down the steps one night when I was working in the front of the house. Spooked me. Then Heard it again and realized that the noise only occurred when there were people living next door. Funny echos in these brick row houses.
Mark
Thanks for the visit down memory lane. As a kid growing up in rural southcentral Ohio I thought that if I grew up and got to live in Cincinnati I would have made it! We would travel to No KY to visit family and when we hit the Columbia Parkway, I was in heaven. I can remember trying to see the houses on the hillside from the Parkway.
Right our of school I moved west and never lived in Cincy but I would. It’s still a beautiful city.
These homes are so charming!
Why can’t they make neighborhoods like this today?
Thank you for the tour.
xo
Brooke
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