A Home with many things to be Thankful for

		This home on the corner of Harvey and Folsom has been restored through hard work by the new owner and help from many people.

Oftentimes, working to restore an old home is not glamorous. You put in hours and days and months of hard work and wonder how far you're getting. Then one day you step back, and for a moment see "the big picture" and you almost wonder how you got that far ... until a drop of sweat or a muscle twitch reminds you. 

One such house that has gone through the sweat-equity restoration program is the home on the corner of Harvey and Folsom. Now owned by Lois Branch, she bought it from Mr. and Mrs. Eckles in 2002. They sold it for a reduced price because they wanted to see a house they were sentimentally attached to restored and lived in, and they knew Lois Branch would do that. Along with her brother-in-law, she worked evenings and weekends to restore this house and make it into a family home for her and her three children. Help also came from Scott Haynes and Rogers Doughty of the city's Department of Community Design and Morin Construction, the general contractor Lois Branch used. All these parties worked to keep and augment the historic nature of the home.

Often you hear of stories where government has failed or where a private business has gone wrong. Here is an example where a former owner, a present owner, a city department, and a private business all worked together to restore a historic home, giving the new owners a house with a yard for the children and Old North Knoxville a restored home and some new neighbors. Almost enough to make you believe in miracles ... if you didn't know about the sweat.

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