10 minute read
Preserving Historic White Springs
By Jeweliana Curtis
Have you had the chance to experience the magic that is White Springs? The historic structures, gorgeous scenic views and small-town feel all give way to a feeling of nostalgia and comfort. All of these details make this a special place to live and visit, and that is what drew Scott Gay and Julie Williams to the area. The couple is passionate about preserving the natural beauty of the area, and they have found joy in restoring old homes in White Springs over the last twelve years. In their portfolio are two historic homes that were in need of serious TLC, but with a dream and a lot of elbow grease, Scott and Julie set off to make them beautiful and functional once again. The first project that the pair tackled is one that is near and dear to Scott’s heart: the home he grew up in.
“I grew up in this home with my grandmother and mother. I knew everyone in the neighborhood back then, and I have fond memories of selling Christmas cards to our neighbors. I’m in my 50s now, but my journey with this home began again when I was in my 40s,” Scott explained. “I was living in Jacksonville at the time and began to think about what was next for me. I never imagined it would be coming back to White Springs.”
On one fateful day, Scott returned to his hometown to attend the annual Florida Folk Festival, and he witnessed rsthand the horrible shape that his childhood home was in. It was then that he decided he would not allow the home to continue to deteriorate.
“It just seemed like the right t for me to restore this home. I was comfortable with the idea of living in White Springs then as well. I knew a lot of people in the area and had friends that lived here, plus I loved the idea of hunting, shing and enjoying nature here,” Scott shared. “Julie is a big part of why I moved here also. She’s interested in gardening and plants, she loves to entertain, and she has gotten into mountain biking as well. It just seemed like a good t for us.”
Julie weighed in, stating, “It ts our lifestyle as far as being outdoorsy with the biking, running and walking trails, and really just the community here ts us well. It’s not strange to go out for a walk with our dog and end up at a neighbor’s house for an impromptu visit on the porch! It’s a very casual town, and we love the community here.”
When Scott stumbled upon the state of his family home in 2010, he immediately knew that he had two options: restore the house to its original glory, or tear it down. As his renovation journey began, he started by pulling up the layer of carpet in the living room that had been added by his grandparents when they acquired the home in the 1970s. Underneath that layer of carpet was 1940s linoleum from when his great-grandfather bought the home.
“I started peeling the layers of ooring and wallcoverings back until I found wood behind them! Normally you would not nd wood in such great shape like the wood I found in the living room. There weren’t any holes in it or doors cut in… It was fairly intact,” Scott said. “So, the living space now has the original oors, which are roughly 120 years old, and they have been re nished twice. The grain pattern is all virgin timber and nearly impossible to recreate today.”
The discovery of the original wood oors sparked Scott’s enthusiasm for refurbishing the home to its former glory. He set out to create a space that makes you feel like you have stepped back in time, but with all of the modern conveniences that are needed to live comfortably.
“Once the living room was refurbished, I had the idea to complete the whole house and make it look like it did in the 1920s,” Scott shared. “There were no kitchen cabinets at the time, and it really started out as a glorified hunting camp for me and my buddies. But, eight years ago, when we decided to put down roots and live here, Julie came in and designed the living room and the rest of the home to be as functional as possible for us.”
What began as a hunting camp turned into the spot that everyone wanted to be. Every year during the Florida Folk Festival, the couple hosts a celebratory kick-o party in their backyard, and so the home quickly became the gathering place for their friends, family and folk festival attendees.
“Once we began to entertain here more frequently, we took a step back and thought, if this is really how our life will be here, I de nitely need a dishwasher!” Julie laughed. “The design inspiration was authentic and antique, and we really took what was already here and built around that. We wanted the spaces to be warm and keep that original architecture, all while making it open, airy, bright and convenient. We sort of melded those two with the design and the function of the modern spaces.”
The nished living room is full of mementos and keepsakes, from a replica of the rst ever Florida Folk Festival program to sentimental gifts given to the couple by their friend and fellow history lover, Johnny Bullard. An old tobacco rack proudly hangs on the original walls, giving a nod to the times when the rack was used to pick tobacco in the elds. Once it was picked, it would be carried into the barn to dry before being made into a cigarette. Now, the rack has found a home, proudly displayed as a focal point in the living room. As Scott was taking up the oors to refurbish them, he found old newspapers that had been used to insulate the home. These papers date back decades ago, one detailing information about Israel before it became a state. This newspaper he found is framed and displayed in the living room, along with other sentimental family documents found in the home, like Scott’s grandmother’s youngest brother’s diploma from when he graduated elementary school.
“The room is almost like a small museum, really. I also found my granddad’s old farm books. All of the ledgers are displayed in the case. That’s where he kept up with labor,” Scott explained. “He paid people a couple of dollars a day, and reading those ledgers is so fascinating!”
After the renovations of his childhood home were complete, Scott and Julie set their sights on another local home: Mrs. Kendrick’s Cottage. A young couple lived there at the time, and Scott let them know that if they ever wanted to sell that he would love the chance to own and restore it. To Scott’s surprise, just two months later, the couple was ready to sell it to him and he had no choice but to jump in on the exciting restoration project. “The process for renovating the cottage was similar to that of the rst home: you begin by going in and emptying it of trash and debris, then you move on to ripping out carpets and getting it down to the wood. We kept digging and digging with that house, and eventually we were down to the bare basics,” Scott shared. “Very little original wood was salvageable, but by using the wood from other homes nearby we were able to give a nod to that original style yet again.”
As you can imagine, restoring an old house is not a solo venture. The couple worked with many talented people along the way, including one very special craftsman. Brian Futch, a friend and talented craftsman, taught Scott how to safely deconstruct old homes and preserve the lumber. While taking down three old, compromised houses on Kendrick Street, Mr. Futch educated the couple on the value of antique wood. He worked alongside them, teaching the step-by-step process of cleaning, storing and preserving this beautiful and rare lumber.
Along the way, Scott and Julie experienced their fair share of construction mishaps that are typical of old houses, from dealing with rotting wood to re guring their design plan when the entire back of the home fell o during the construction phase! Because the old home had been added onto a few times, a particular spot of the home was never fully attached, causing it to fall o one afternoon while working on the job. Thankfully no one was injured, and both Scott and Julie agree that the home turned out even better because of the mishap. They were able to add on a beautiful back porch, complete with handmade beams from another local house.
The story behind the name of Mrs. Kendrick’s Cottage is also a nod to historic White Springs. As Scott was growing up, he remembers his grandmother visiting Mrs. Kendrick, a neighbor down the street that he recalls as having pu y white hair and a big connection to the community! Her husband was the town dentist, and to this day there are plaques around the White Springs area that read “Kendrick Tenant House 1905,” sharing landmarks that the Kendricks owned at the time. Scott remembers her fondly, so when the time came to name the short-term rental, Scott and Julie just knew that it should be known as Mrs. Kendrick’s Cottage in her honor. Mrs. Kendrick’s Cottage is now a short-term rental, o ering guests the opportunity to stay in historic White Springs and explore the natural beauty all around.
Currently, the couple is working on plans for their next renovation. The project is a bit di erent as it involves the old re station instead of an old house. Scott and Julie plan to turn it into an o ce, keeping the organic modern style in mind as they conquer the renovation.
“The re station is a rectangular concrete block building that was built in the 1970s to house the re truck here in town, and it was built with 11-foot ceilings. When the town of White Springs renovated the station, their retruck was undersized. When they purchased an upgraded truck later on, it no longer t in that building,” Scott explained. “Dr. Barnett, the town doctor, donated that land with a clause that said when the re station is no longer using it, it would revert back to him. So, I purchased it from Dr. Barnett’s son. We are excited about the project and the renovation e orts there.”
The choice to settle in White Springs had much to do with a sentimental pull that both Scott and Julie had to the area, but the bustling community of creators, musicians, artists, outdoorsmen and conservationists is an added bonus. The couple described the area as being lled with artists and passionate citizens, all of which are working to make the community a better place. The purpose of their renovations are simple: to restore historic White Springs to its former state and celebrate the beauty of the area.
“We really wanted to show people what you can do with these old houses. There are not a lot of these old houses left, and a lot of the ones you see here are beyond repair and will have to come down, unfortunately,” Scott shared. “I found that the satisfaction you get out of knowing that we preserved a little piece of history and a little piece of White Springs makes it all worth it. I enjoy the idea of keeping this community a bit like it was at the turn of the century.”
The restoration of White Springs is well underway, thanks to e orts from community members like Scott and Julie, as well as the trailblazers that came before them. Their goal is to inspire others to invest in communities just like this one, all in hopes of preserving historic Florida and nding a community to call your own.
To stay up to date on all of Scott and Julie’s restoration initiatives, or to book your stay at Mrs. Kendrick’s Cottage, visit mrskendrickscottage.com. ■
