Restoring a historic house leads to reconnecting families with forgotten past

Lauren Iraeta, a 44-year-old real estate agent, transformed a 10-month house renovation into a historical investigation, uncovering the stories of the people who lived in her 160-year-old waterfront home. What began as a project to repair timber and plumbing evolved into a mission to reconnect descendants with their forgotten family history.

“

My husband fell in love with this house instantly and I needed a little bit of convincing. The charm of the house, the front porch and the widow’s walk at the very top is something you could never find in any other house.

Initially hesitant about the purchase, Iraeta was won over by the house's historic charm, including its widow's walk. The extensive renovation preserved the home's original character while updating its systems. "It ended up being a huge labor of love," Iraeta told PEOPLE magazine. "The house still looks like an old house, but doesn’t have old problems."

“

It ended up being a huge labor of love. The house still looks like an old house, but doesn’t have old problems.

After completing the physical restoration, Iraeta delved into local records, discovering the house was likely built around 1860 by a sea captain. Her research intensified when she explored the widow's walk, a rooftop feature where wives once watched for returning ships. There, she found names carved into the wooden walls by previous residents, compiling a complete list of owners and their years of residence.

“

In that room on the wall are names written and carved into the wood. I have the name of every owner and when they lived here.

This historical detective work led Iraeta to descendants of former residents, including the elderly grandchildren of the home's third owners. She was able to provide them with a copy of a 10-page childhood account written by their late father, a document they were unaware existed. Iraeta's research has also shed light on other property discoveries, such as a hidden pet cemetery in the backyard, as she continues to trace the lives of those who once called the house home.

“

Their children didn’t know this existed. I recently tracked them down in California and gave them a copy.