The Proctor-Fields House (by Tara Fields)

 

In 1999 my mother-in-law, Barbara Fields, purchased the Proctor House in Woodbine. It was in a sad state of disrepair. She immediately began work on restoring the old house to its former glory! Built in the early 1900s, Barbara has yet to find the name of the builder. However, a similar house was built in St. Marys, the Rudulph-Riggins House (1911).

 

 

 

 

 

This is the back side of the house. The original wrap around porch had been converted into rooms when the home was used as a boarding house. This two story addition was removed and a more usable one story addition added.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the first things to go where the addition rooms. Opening up the porches made a world of difference! Painting the outside made an incredible difference.

 

 

 

 

 

These are the inside stairs. The window behind him looks into one of the porch rooms that has since been removed. Barbara has plans to put a piece of stained glass in there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are fireplaces throughout the house. Barbara has been able to save the mantles and most of the original windows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The house basically had to be gutted. This area is the kitchen as Barbara found it. Walls, floors, and ceilings had to be removed. Little was salvageable. The hardwood floors were saved. In areas that didn't have the original hardwood, Barbara is going to do her best to match the new floors to the old ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When wandering around upstairs it became evident that the house wasn't level. Someone had removed a load bearing wall from the kitchen area. The back half of the house was sinking. Rather than repair the problem, previous owners had cut the doors to fit the sharply angled doorways! The house has since been raised and leveled.

Over the last 2 years Barbara has gotten the walls torn-out, insulation added, plumbing and electricity replaced, 2 bathrooms ripped out and rebuilt, new wallboard put in and painted, paint stripped off the original wood work, exterior work completed, modern heat and air conditioning installed, and countless other tasks performed. I will add more pictures here soon. The house looks AMAZINGLY good now!