The House and Studio
When Don, Marian, and son Will moved from Asheville, NC to Johnson City, TN they were interested in finding a place close to campus and possibly purchasing a house with some historical significance to live in and restore. The house at 1117 Cedar Place satisfied both of those criteria quite well. The house is located in the historic Tree Streets Neighborhood directly across University Parkway from ETSU. It was built in 1812 on the property of revolutionary war hero Robert Young, by his grandson. Once the main house on a tract of over 2000 acres, it now has the distinction of being the oldest continuously inhabited house in Johnson City. There are other interesting historical tidbits but of great interest to a clay-person is the fact that the bricks the house is made of were most likely made on site from the very clay in which the foundation of the house still rests. Old bricks and over-fired brick fragments are regularly dug up in the yard along with pottery shards from different eras. The house is of a very solid foundation and well worth the ongoing restoration projects.

Underneath layers of offending wallpaper the walls are coated with exquisite plaster and were once painted in soft earth tones of ochre, iron red, & blue reminiscent of Italian villas. Curious script & drawings appear throughout the house on the plaster where the paint has washed off.

 visit the studio...

what's growing in the garden...