The words “history” and “antique” have fluctuating time frames associated with them. I find one major factor that pins the timeframe down depends on the relative geography surrounding the subject in question.

In an antique store in Nebraska, I’ve found a Peanuts lunchbox that matches the one I loved as a kindergartener. I don’t consider myself an antique much less the stuff I played with and still own. 1950’s items are now “mid-century modern” and a great find in antique stores. Of course, there are those rare items from homestead days of the late 1800’s that are considered true antiques in the Great Plains.  My great-grandparents homesteaded in 1911 in Montana and I own the dolly cradle he made at that time.

I’ve recently returned from a trip to Charleston, South Carolina where I learned that the newer of the buildings in the Historic District are those built after the fire. The fire of 1788! That makes my 100-year old house seem rather modern in comparison.

I delighted in walking around Charleston and admiring the historical homes and their antique iron works and gates. The street doors lead to porches that run the length of the homes. This allows for greater air movement, space and privacy compared to my bungalow’s front porch. The magnificent mansions that run along the bay are juxtaposed to narrow streets and narrow homes. The lurking question that I’ll address in another entry is who built these beautiful homes.