Can a house talk? The Pink House can! In her first novel, The Pink House, Circa 1830: A Love Story, Sheila Ogle’s old Victorian mansion speaks to readers loud and clear.
In a spirited but playful voice, the Pink House tells her story from her beginnings as a 19th-century railroad man’s home on the edge of town to her prime spot on Academy Street in the up-and-coming historic town of Cary. It’s a beautiful tale, and Ogle masterfully replays for us the history of her pink house from the house’s perspective, taking us step-by-step through the difficult decision of renovating an old home that some saw simply as firewood. The book's contributing editor, Mary Jekielek Insprucker, says the tale includes architecture, history, mystery and romance.
Imagine falling in love with a house, or a house falling in love with her people. It happens here when Ogle notices the old home for the first time during her morning errands. Sheila can only describe it as “an aura surrounding the old house.” Of course, that aura was dim compared to the intense aura of the love her husband, Carroll Ogle, possessed for his beloved, Sheila. Why, before the renovation even allowed for electricity, Carroll made it his mission to erect a Christmas tree in the cupola complete with dazzling lights, just to see Sheila smile!
The Pink House will whisper her secrets in your ear, sharing tidbits about Mayor Rood’s meetings inside the house and Rev. White’s concocted sermons written in the cupola. And was there a cupola kiss that led to a wedding centuries later?
History buffs will tingle when the Pink House chats about Prohibition, Ford Model A's and Pierce-Arrows.
Oh, yes, and don’t forget to solve the mystery of the lost shoes at the Guess-Ogle House.
The Pink House, Circa 1830: A Love Story is available in downtown Cary at Ashworth’s Drugstore and Everything’s Better Monogrammed. Find out more at CaryPinkHouse.com.
