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Stairway, Hallway, Upstairs Bath
The banister shows wear on the Newel posts where many hands have
grasped them over the years or where children enjoyed a short slide.
The landing provided space for toy storage in the window seat, and
this was an area where a child could engage in quiet play away from
the rest of the family. The Gilberts always had a phonograph from
the earliest variety with the morning glory horn on the top to the
very latest innovation. Family members also recall that a black
pencil sharpener was fastened to the wall in the stairway. What
a perfect area to decorate for a Victorian Christmas.
The second floor hallway was large at first and later provided
space for the bathroom. The fixtures with the oak water tank back
of the toilet with an oak seat and the porcelain claw-foot tub are
typical of the period in which they were installed. Gilbert great
grandchildren recall visiting Donelsons when Bill had painted bumble
bees on the toilet seat to discourage anyone from staying too long
in the bathroom. That toilet froze the year the house was vacant,
and when it thawed, water poured from the cracked toilet bowl and
down the stairs "like Niagara Falls" according to Bill.
As a result, the wallpaper loosened and hung down in festoons in
the dining room and the flooring was warped and twisted.
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