A HUGE SUCCESS and DELIGHTFUL EVENT!
by Lucia Malon, HPF Member
posted March 22, 2020
Photo: The afternoon session
Under cloudy skies accompanied by a light but cool breeze, the Historic Petersburg Foundation held both sessions of its Hudson-Day Tour on Saturday, March 14. Each of the 75 people who attended was very glad they did. Many of them were introduced for the first time to 3 fascinating people – Bill Nicholson, Bill Irvin, and Thomas Day – and left wanting to know more.
Bill Nicholson, owner of the house that was featured, led the tour, which was a treat in and of itself. Nicholson, you see, is a natural when it comes to delivering dry information in an entertaining manner. He delighted the audiences with tales of the occurrences that had led to this point in his life and that has him knee-deep in a challenging restoration project. And when he got into the history of the key subject, Thomas Day, he made it come to life. You could hear – in every single word – the passion that he has for this project and the history behind it.
Recently re-settled here in Petersburg from, of all places, posh Palm Springs, California, Nicholson was born and raised in Richmond but his family was originally from Petersburg. They owned a business on Cockade Alley. So he has always had an interest in The Cockade City. As he noted during his opening presentation on the newly reconstructed Hudson-Day steps, in his countless visits to the city over the years, he often passed the house – which sat empty for years – always noting how “plain and unattractive it was.”
So why did Nicholson eventually purchase the house and launch headfirst into this meticulous restoration? That’s where Bill Irvin comes in. He is the other interesting personality involved.
A life-long history buff, antiques dealer, and preservation enthusiast, Irvin had developed an interest in Thomas Day because of the beautiful and unique furniture that he produced. Also the fact that he was born in nearby Dinwiddie County. In doing research on Day, Irvin discovered that he had also created architectural elements for a number of homes in Halifax County Virginia. He set out to find some of them.
In the late 1990’s, Irvin learned that one of the houses with Day features, which had been built in 1827 and added onto in 1839, was actually scheduled for demolition. If it was to be saved, it would need to be moved. But where to? It was located in South Boston, over 100 miles from Petersburg. To survive a move that far, the house would have to be disassembled and transported in pieces. Was it worth it? Irvin thought so. In fact, he never considered just letting it go.
The next question became, “Where in Petersburg should it be relocated to?” Irvin and other historians with which he was conferring decided that it needed to be in the historic part of the city, if not Old Towne, close by. So an empty lot on High Street was purchased and the re-assembly began. It got as far the shell.
In a testament to the original craftsmanship and the skill of the men who had taken the house apart, the reassembled structure endured its cold, empty existence for more than 15 years. Nicholson bought it in 2019 after inquiring about its history and learning more about Thomas Day from Irvin. He was living a comfortable life in California at the time.
On Saturday, Irvin, who organized the tour, watched with great appreciation as Nicholson enthusiastically described how, when he was finished, the main part of the house would look much as it did in 1839 (2 extensions on either end were added later). Using as much of the original material as possible (the pieces were cleverly color-coded by room for accurate re-installation), he plans to recreate elements that did not survive the years of neglect. These include 2-story front and back porches.
The highlights of the house – when reinstalled – will, of course, be the elements that were created by Thomas Day. Features that he designed include unique porch columns. doors, mantels, stair brackets and newel post, and window trims. Original colors – which Nicholson had researched by Williamsburg’s Susan Buck – will be used. But the Thomas Day “presence” will not stop there.
After getting excited about Thomas Day’s incredible talents, Nicholson began to seek out furniture items that Day created. He has purchased a number of these including a set of 10 dining room chairs that Day made for an ex-governor of North Carolina. Nicholson had several pieces of the Day furniture on display the day of the tour.
So who attended this event? Among them were people simply interested in what is happening on High Street, history buffs (some from Richmond), people involved in their own restorations (one family that attended is restoring a home in the Northern Neck), architects, and people interested in learning more about Thomas Day. As a matter of fact, there were 3 of Day’s direct descendants in the group!! All three live in Dinwiddie County where Day was born. They plan to talk with relatives to try to find more connections as well as information about Day and his descendants. How exciting is that??
All tour participants left enriched by the experience. Many left determined to learn more about Day including visiting his workshop – which is now open to the public – in Milton, North Carolina where Day had his very successful business. Cathy White and her daughter, who live on High Street, were among them. “We definitely want to go Milton now,” they proclaimed. They might also visit the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh which has a display on Day. Little Johnny, the grandson of one of the participants, proclaimed that he would like to do a report on Thomas Day for his class in school. That is, of course, if it fits an assignment.
There is not just a single word that can describe the event on Saturday. Some of them, however, include interesting, enlightening, refreshing, spirited, engaging, encouraging, and (OK, using 2 words) incredibly positive. Petersburg needs more of this type of thing. It is, we believe, what will help us elevate Petersburg to the stature it deserves.
So, thank you – a million times over – to both Bill Nicholson and Bill Irvin from the Historic Petersburg Foundation. This was planned as a fundraiser (which means $$) but the truth is that the benefit was far greater and more important than anything monetary. Those thanks are doubled, of course, for Thomas Day, our real hero of the day, if he can hear them. What a marvelous trio Nicholson, Irvin and Day make !!
Note: Oct. 4, 2020 – Update on progress at the Hudson-Day house coming soon!
Read more about Thomas Day. Also check out the article by Sean Jones in the Progress-Index on March 19.
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