What stories do you have to share….?
Who would have ever thought, finding a pile of old slate roofing would weave a story of families and houses, one that years later would be shared on Roots and Recall. Yes, some thirty years ago, while visiting a home in the country, I came across a large pile of early 20th century slate roofing. The owners explained it had come from a home on Johnson Street in downtown Rock Hill, S.C., the story is told that – “This house was built as a simpler, less formal house; but the Mobleys remodeled the house completely in preparation for the wedding of their daughter…..the contractor finishing the day of the wedding.” It was at this time the family installed a new roof on their home which was recorded by the local paper, The Herald Newspaper reported on July 12, 1902 – “That architect H.W. White has drawn plans for the complete remodeling of the already handsome home of Capt. E.B. Mobley. Its style will be Colonial, and it will have eight main rooms. The present roof will not be removed, but a slate roof will cover the whole, the latter being put on a frame two ft., above the shingle roof. The building will be a very pretty one and according to the plans, one of the most attractive in the city.”
In the late 1960s, the roof of this once fabulous home was carefully removed and transported to the farm where I admired and purchased it in ca. 1986. Of particular interest to me was that this house had once been highly admired by my older brother, who on visiting the house prior to its demolition, stated he would one day own a home of similar character. Indeed he did, on the Charleston Battery!
But back to the story, the Mobley house had once also stood across the street from our Great Grandparents cottage. As a teen our grandmother would have witnessed the slate being installed and who knew that her own grandson would acquire the slate for use on a home being remodeled by her own child, the Robertson House. Yes, the Mobley’s house had been remodeled in advance of their daughter’s prestigious wedding and decades later my parents renovated a country home in preparation for my sister’s wedding. In attendance was the bride’s grandmother, who as a teenager had seen the slate being originally installed, she however had no idea of the origins of the slate on her son’s home! Ironically, in 2017 the same country home once owned by my parents is now being further upgraded to become a very handsome event center for further stylish weddings and receptions. Oh what history this slate roofing has and will continue witnessing!
So the slate not only has been used on several historic houses to enhance their architecture but four generations of one family, my own, have also been witnesses to the original installation, removal, and re-use of the slate over a period of 115 years. Unfortunately, we only have one piece of the slate in our possession — a welcoming sign at our rear door was painted on a piece. Coincidentally, the story of this slate roofing is only one of many we should all be recording from all sections of the state and nation. What stories do you have to preserve on Roots and Recall?
R&R Follow-up: Urban renewal efforts claimed well over a hundred historic structures, some of the area’s earliest. The area along Johnston Street was one of the oldest sections of the city and following WW II had fallen into disrepair. R&R’s success has been built on families sharing and preserving one image or whole collections. One of the earliest contributions to R&R was by an individual who had also lived on Johnston Street. Years ago, her school photo became one of the first posted on R&R – a momentous start to another continuing story.
From the Porch – Blog @ RootsandRecall.com – 4.20.17