The Renovation of the McBride House compiled by Barbara Emch  on October 4, 2003

The landscaping of the house was started on April 26, 1997 after it was known that the house would definitely be donated to the Hubbard Historical Society.  The landscaping was designed by Barbara Emch and the following workers helped with the initial preparation of the beds:  Jimmy Brall, Cecilia Cooper, Ralph Cooper, Sam Cutter, Barbara Emch,  Derek Emch, Ron Emch, John Farcas, Bill Mitchell and Jim Thompson.  Bricks were placed around the beds by Barbara Emch, Marian Harris and Jim Thompson.  Barbara Emch, Derek Emch and Kurt Emch waterproofed the wood arbor for the purple clematis vine and  Jim Thompson installed it.  Seven Anthony Waterer Spirea shrubs were planted in the front, with four being donated by Hawley Landscaping.  Lamb’s Ears were planted as an edging and Purple Coneflowers were donated by Gary Baughman,  Lamb's Ears and Chrysanthemums by Cecilia Cooper, Lamb's Ears, Daylilies, Hosta, English Wood Hyacinths, Daffodils and Coral Bells by Barbara Emch, Hosta by Marian Harrris, Blue Iris by Dorothy Johnson, and daylilies by June Pearson.  Other workers who donated their time included:  Anne Ellis, Mary Jane Harbison, Flo Jackson, and Jane Johnston.  Mayor George Praznik was instrumental in having a large maple tree in the front of the house removed as it was dying and had become an eyesore. 

The renovation of the house occurred over a four year period from 1997 to 2001 under the capable and inspired direction of Jim Thompson and a wonderful crew of workers from the Hubbard Historical Society.  Workers included:  Ralph Cooper, Sam Cutter, John Farcas,  Don Hardin, Bill Mitchell, Bob Notman, Don Petrusko , Charles Rohrer,  Jim Terry (who did the plastering and trim work), Fred Thomas, Jim Thompson, and John Tremba.   Wallpaper was removed by Cecilia Cooper, Barbara Emch, Marian Harris, Don Petrusko and Betsy Thompson.  The curtains throughout the house were sewed by Cecilia Cooper, Flo Kerrigan, and Barbara Emch

The roof was replaced very early  in the renovation by James Roofing.  The floors downstairs were sagging so were shored up.  The whole house was rewired, defective plaster was removed and replaced with new plaster.  The front porch was replaced by a local contractor very early in the renovation.     

The upstairs was renovated next, with walls being plastered and painted, the bathroom completely gutted with new plumbing and a new floor installed.  The clawfoot bathtub was refinished by Ken Romo of Like-Nu Materials of Hubbard.  The toilet and bathtub were both original to the house, and the pedestal sink was donated.  The medicine cabinet was made and donated by Debbie Williams Mageros (the original cabinet was made from packing crates). 

In the kitchen, the cupboards, which were original to the house probably installed during the 1930’s, were painted.  Before that shelves or Hoosier cupboards were used for storage. There was formerly a door from the kitchen to the back parlor, but this was boarded up when the cupboards were installed.     The sink was original to the house as well.  The original house did not include either this kitchen or the back parlor.  Possibly the original kitchen was where the dining room is now.  The false ceiling of the kitchen was removed and the original ceiling was replastered and painted as well as new stained, wood wainscoting was installed on the lower portion of the walls.  New floor tiles were installed as the last step in the kitchen. 

In the dining room, the floor had to be replaced because there was no moisture barrier between the dirt crawl space and the floor and the floor had deteriorated.  Before the new floor was installed, heavy plastic was placed over the dirt crawl space.  Also, the dining room wall was shored up with cement pilings and treated beams and then jacked up to its original position.  In addition, a new ceiling was installed in this room.

All the walls downstairs that were wallpapered had the wallpaper removed, the walls repaired, and then they were painted off white.  There was a portion of the living room floor that had been patched with old car license plates and this area was repaired.  In addition, the floor needed new supports installed in the basement as it was not level. 

Later on, a sump pump was installed in the basement and the coal door in the cellar was bricked up by workers as it was allowing water to enter the basement. 

The original basement under the living room has walls built with hand cut sandstone, finished only on the inside.  The rough sides can be seen from the added on basement under the back parlor.  This basement was used for a coal cellar and coal was delivered at the back.  It was built from bricks.  The basement under the added kitchen was built from concrete blocks.  When central heating was installed, the basement floor had to be lowered in order to provide the height needed for the furnace. The most recent remodeling occurred probably in the 1940’s  with the building of the downstairs bathroom and the upstairs bedroom that is used for storage.   Original lighting in the house was by gas lights and the piping is still in the walls and can be seen in the front upstairs bedroom that is used for the display of the spinning wheel.