There are days Emily Hinkel and Thomas Hershberger almost can’t believe the decision they made.
The 1862-built mansion facing Washington Street in Bosart Brown is so overgrown it appears haunted; previous owners left floors uprooted and items heaped, some trash and some treasure; while closing on the house last year, they discovered someone had stolen copper pipes from the basement, leaving them without heat.
“A nice welcome to home ownership,” Hershberger joked.
But there are also days ― probably most of them ― when they believe it’s the best decision they ever made.
On those days, they relish in the little details: the built-in milk door, the twist doorbell, abundant original fireplaces, the “Harry Potter” closet beneath the grand stairway, little human sculptures that hold the shutters in place ― Hershberger calls them “shutter soldiers.”
And the big details: The structure is sound, the main features are original, the history is vast, and the future is, now, promising.
“We love the potential,” Hinkel said.