We at Kirkpatrick & Co. take pride in our role as storytellers. We craft a narrative, graciously sharing the story of the property to potential buyers. This process requires tremendous preparation, from capturing photos and video to gathering historic details.
Our expert knowledge & historic home research add great value to our marketing. Buyers are eager for homes with gravitas. Millennial interest in historic homes is growing. An appreciation for craftsmanship, environmental concerns, and an emphasis on authenticity all contribute to this expanding market of historic home buyers. Lastly, by presenting the story of a historic home, we are also honoring our Bluegrass heritage and adding to the collective understanding of our past. For that opportunity, we are most grateful. Natalie Davis leads Kirkpatrick & Co.’s historic research efforts. Read on for our interview about the process.
How do you begin researching a home?
First, we gather any information the seller has collected, especially prior names of the home or farm. We then ask for any names of past residents they may know. We also pull deeds to see the chain of ownership and any other interesting clues it contains. When Zach [Davis, Kirkpatrick & Co. Broker] visits a property, he takes notes about historic details that might offer further clues to the house’s history. This can include architectural features, cemeteries, neighboring properties, or prior town or neighborhood names. Many rural historic homes were once part of unincorporated communities that no longer exist. It’s also helpful to know which agricultural products a farm has produced. Whether it’s a tobacco farm or a thoroughbred nursery, its product has a great bearing on the history.
What are your favorite resources?
We consult Sanborn maps and old newspapers frequently. We also have a pretty healthy “reference library” of several hundred Kentucky history books. I need more shelves! What makes a historic home live & breathe, though, is connecting it to the people who lived there. That means we use many traditional “genealogy” resources to build the story of a home. I might look at census records or obituaries for a better understanding of the property. A home’s history is totally dependent on its people.
What do you like about this work?
I have a master’s degree in library science and I’ve always loved history. I love this work because it feels like you’re solving a mystery with research. That might not sound exciting to other people, but it sure is to me! I feel very fortunate that something I love to do benefits clients so greatly.
What are some of your favorite farms you’ve researched?
I found Audubon fascinating because the property had so many additions dating back to before Kentucky’s statehood. I loved The Larches, as well. I think people often picture a Greek Revival with big white columns when they imagine a historic home on a farm here. While there are certainly plenty of gorgeous examples of those, I have great appreciation for other earlier styles, like Federal or vernacular homes and cabins.
If you have a historic home to sell, we’d love to pay you visit & uncover your home’s story.
