1006 Cherry Street Orange, Tx

1006 Cherry Street Orange, Texas

Oh the stories this house could tell. If it could only talk.  I spent my childhood visiting my grandmother here.  I got to know all of my many cousins here.  We spent most holidays in this house celebrating with Mamaw.   I even lived here for a number of years after I was grown.  

This house was actually a duplex with a large hall down the middle inside that door you can see.  That hall in the middle was, at one time, called a "dog trot." Here is the definition of a dog trot style home by Southern Living Magazine.  "Dog Trot Homes are characterized by the large, open breezeway that runs through the middle of the house, with two separate living areas on either side, all under one roof."

You could open the front door and the back door which was a straight hallway and the breeze would flow through.  My grandmother loved her home.  We all loved her home too.  It was a place to meet! A place to visit with cousins, aunts, uncles, and Mamaw!  That screened in porch on the front could probably tell some stories too.

Mamaw would sit out there on that front porch every day and say her rosary.  She was a devout Catholic and a member of the Ladies Alter Society.  As far as I know, that was her only social outlet.
This house was such a huge part of my life! I remember Mamaw when she could walk, before her need to use the wheel chair.  This house felt so much like home to me.  I don't think there are many family members who don't have great memories of 1006 Cherry Street.

I think this is where I first became interested in genealogy.  It's where I learned who my cousins and second cousins and third cousins are.  And things like who my aunts and great aunts were.  I found all of that to be interesting.  I always looked forward to going there to see everyone.

I sure wish that old house could talk.