Hey folks — anyone know how to determine where/if original designs that correspond to early 20th century vintage houses in Walnut Hill can be located (and/or if any particular houses in the area have been shown to correspond to Sears or similar kit houses — on that note, we may be able to learn more about that question at this week’s lecture)? For example, through a deed search I found that McKesson Land Corp. built a bunch of houses in Walnut Hill, and through the State Corporation Commission I found that McKesson dissolved in 1950 (explaining why they are un-Google-able) — that’s as far as I got. Do fire insurance maps (aka, Sanborn’s maps) exist for this area at any office/library? Has anyone else chased down further details on the area? How about photos that date back to the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s? (If others want to start similar threads on other neighborhoods, we’ll be happy to oblige.)

As I was just told, this time from both a house and a church (!) in Walnut Hill. a) Anyone know what area metal scrap yards are accepting copper gutters? If they don’t pay for stolen gutters, the gutters won’t get stolen. The scrap guys probably would say that they get the name, tel, etc. of scrap sellers; if so, apparently that isn’t enough to disincentivize gutter theft. Another idea: require that if scrap yards do accept gutters, they also take a photo of the scrap and the scrapper? You know, something to help the police link missing gutters to both gutters ‘retrieved’ by the scrap yard and the perps that walked in with the loot?

Actually, it opened Wednesday, but if you didn’t catch the head’s up buried elsewhere on this site — its open, its inviting, and the employees are offering up outstanding service!