Found out my grandma's rose bush is over 80 years old from a county archive

I was digging through old property records at the county clerk's office last week, trying to figure out where my property line actually runs. Stumbled on a 1942 tax photo that showed the exact same climbing rose bush by the back porch. My grandma planted it the year she bought the place for $3,200. I always thought it was maybe 30 years old, not 80 something. The blooms are smaller now but the smell is still that same sweet old rose scent. Anyone else ever find something surprising in old public records about their house?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_julia1mo ago

and the county archives are honestly a goldmine for stuff like this, lol. i found out my 1950s kitchen cabinets were originally a custom order from a local hardware store that went under in the 70s, not some generic builder grade junk i assumed they were. the best part was the original paint color was a mint green that i would never have guessed, but now i'm thinking about trying to match it for a little accent wall. i love how a random paper trail can totally change how you look at something you see every day, like that rose bush is basically a family heirloom now.

abby_palmer1mo ago

Honestly I used to roll my eyes at stuff like that but you might be convincing me...