When Winnie Curtis and her husband Kevin moved to Kansas and rehabbed his great grandparents’ home, they fixed more than just drywall and paint — they restored the soul of this century-old farmhouse. The Ties that Bind
By Kim Antisdel | Photos by William and Jill DiMartino
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In the fall of 2007, Winnie and Kevin ventured from Corpus Cris- ti, TX, to visit Kevin’s hometown of Lawrence, KS. Much of Kevin’s family, including his sister and mother, all live on farm acreages that have been in the family for more than 100 years. Those tended and loved acreages also included a lonely farmhouse, abandoned on the family property (pictured at right). “The home was a mess when we first saw it,” remembers Winnie. “No one had been there in over six years, and it was a disaster.” While Kevin’s family saw a deserted old farmhouse, Winnie saw a true opportunity. After Kevin’s mother deeded the land over to her son, the ball started to roll andWinnie’s dream farmhouse began to take shape — slowly.
inston Churchill once famously said, “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” If there is one person who truly embraces that sentiment, it is Winnie Curtis. As the stay-at-home wife of her husband Kevin, who works for the army at Fort Leavenworth, Winnie never imagined being immersed in family history. But now, sitting in the small, cozy kitchen of her renovated farmhouse, surrounded by rows of her own canned tomatoes and pickles, plates dating back 50 years and warmth that seems to seep from the walls, Winnie can tell you anything you could ever want to know about her house and the people who have lived in it. It was a long journey to get here, but for Winnie, the journey has been half the fun.
VintageKC / Winter 2013 14
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