Writers featured in Someone Lived Here

The Cayton-Revels House

August 8, 2022March 13, 2023 admin

Explore the Capitol Hill home of newspaper editors

The Cayton-Revels House on 14th St E in Capitol Hill Neighborhood of Seattle

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Transcript | Email

In the fifth episode of season 3, Kendra brings you to The Cayton-Revels House in Seattle, Washington. Horace Cayton and Susie Revels Cayton were the home’s first owners. Together the couple owned, edited, and wrote the longest-running Black-owned newspaper at the turn of the century in Seattle. Susie was the daughter of Hiram Rhodes Revels the first Black United States Senator elected in 1870. Through the episode, you learn the Cayton-Revels family story and how it intertwines with this home and with US history.

The private home was recently landmarked through the work of Taha Ebrahimi, who took quick action after learning the history of the home. She had the full support of homeowners Kathy Ackerman and Erie Jones, along with the family friend and descendent of Horace and Susie Cayton, Harold Woodson Jr. It was the friendship of Harold’s mom, Susan Cayton Woodson who helped preserve the family connection to this home.

Read Taha’s landmark application or the book The Cayton Legacy by Richard S Hobbs to learn more about this remarkable family. The archival work of Ed Diaz was extremely helpful in putting together this episode. If you’re interested in doing landmark work watch this recording of Taha’s experience.

Images of the property provided by Kathy and Erie can be found below. You can find a full tra nscript of this episode.

The music for our show is by Tim Cahill.

If you like this episode and want to hear other episodes about writers check out the following: Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Steepletop, Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, and inventor and poet Lewis Latimer’s House.

The Cayton-Revels house from ad in Seattle Republican in 1909

The Cayton Family on the front porch in 1904, Right to left, Row 1: Horace Cayton, Susie Revels Cayton, Emma (Susie’s niece) Row 2: Madge, Horace Jr (held), Ruth.

Harold Willliam Woodson Jr., great-grandson of Susie Revels Cayton and Horace Cayton, on the porch to spread, his mother, Susan Cayton Woodson’s ashes in 2013.

Below is a transcript for S3E5 of Someone Lived Here at The Cayton-Revels House in Seattle, Washington. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading →

The House of the Seven Gables

October 4, 2021October 4, 2021 admin

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Transcript | Email

In the third episode of season 3, Kendra brings you to The House of the Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts. The home was the inspiration of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables and was owned in the 1800s by his cousin Susannah Ingersoll. The home was originally built by Captain John Turner and was in his family for three generations.

The House of the Seven Gables was no longer a private residence in 1908 when Caroline Emmerton purchased the home to act as both a house museum and a Settlement House. The home was restored to a 1720 interpretation by Joseph Chandler. Four gables had been removed over the years and were added back, along with the addition of a secret staircase.

Thank you to The House of the Seven Gables, Senior Historic Interpreter and Lead Researcher David Moffat, and Community Engagement Director Julie Arrison-Bishop. You can book tour tickets to see The House of the Seven Gables in person.

Images and locations referenced in this episode can be found below. You can find a full tra nscript of this episode.

The music for our show is by Tim Cahill. Check out his album, Songs From a Bedroom.

If you like this episode and want to hear other episodes like it check out: Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House, The Homes of Harriet Jacobs, Henry Davis Sleeper’s Beauport, and Sailors’ Snug Harbor.

Parlor of The House of the Seven Gables, photo by Someone Lived Here podcast

Interior of attic gable in The House of the Seven Gables, photo by Someone Lived Here podcast

Susannah Ingersoll’s portrait at The House of the Seven Gables, photo by Someone Lived Here podcast

Below is a transcript for S3E3 of Someone Lived Here at The House of the Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading →

Jack Kirby’s Lower East Side Apartment

May 18, 2020June 9, 2021 admin

The childhood tenement of comic book creator, Jack Kirby

Jack Kirby photo by Sampsel & Preston Photography
Apartment photo via NYC Department of Records

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Transcript | Email

In this episode of Someone Lived Here, we follow the life of Jack Kirby starting in his apartment on Suffolk Street in the Lower East Side. The tenement is no longer standing, but the characters he created over his decades in the comic book industry are still everywhere you look.

This season, host Kendra Gaylord, is exploring homes that are no longer standing by learning their stories, all while staying self-isolated in her apartment in Brooklyn.

If you’d like to learn more about Jack Kirby and see his work throughout the years I would highly recommend the biography Kirby: King of Comics by Mark Evanier.

Below is a transcript for season 2, episode 4 of Someone Lived Here, focused on the life of Jack Kirby and the places he lived. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading →

The Homes of Harriet Jacobs

May 4, 2020June 9, 2021 admin

At the corner of King and Broad Street the former home of the writer and anti-slavery activist, Harriet Jacobs

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Transcript | Email

In this episode, we remember the homes where Harriet Jacobs lived both in Edenton, North Carolina and where she wrote Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl in upstate New York. In her book she told her own story as an enslaved woman, later generations would assume her editor Lydia Maria Child was the author.

Below is a transcript for season 2, episode 3 of Someone Lived Here, the homes where Harriet Jacobs lived.. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading →

Woody Guthrie’s 3520 Mermaid Avenue Apartment

April 20, 2020June 9, 2021 admin

The apartment of Woody and Marjorie Guthrie

Left photo: found by Bob Egan from PopSpots

Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Transcript | Email

Kendra explores the life and demolished apartment of Woody Guthrie. His story started in Oklahoma and ended in New York. He wrote about his experiences and his music became a record of events.

Access playlist of songs referenced in the episode here:

Music by Tim Cahill.

Below is a transcript for season 2, episode 2 of Someone Lived Here at the demolished apartment of Woody Guthrie in Coney Island. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading →

Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House

February 10, 2020November 6, 2023 admin2 Comments

Explore the home of Little Women and Louisa May Alcott

In this bonus episode of Someone Lived Here, learn the real life story of Little Women. Kendra takes you to Orchard House, the home of Louisa May Alcott in Concord, Massachusetts. The home is where Louisa wrote and set her book, Little Women. This home was recreated for the recent Little Women film, directed by Greta Gerwig and nominated for an Oscar.

In this episode, we unravel the real lives of Anna, Louisa, Elizabeth, and May. By walking through the rooms and items they owned, we better understand the real people, in both their happiness and hardships.

Thank you to Jan Turnquist and the entire staff at Orchard House. The home is open to visitors almost every day. You can learn more about the home and take a virtual tour on their website.

Music for this episode was by Tim Cahill.

Below is a transcript for season 1, episode 8 of Someone Lived Here at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading →

Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Steepletop

August 26, 2019June 2, 2023 admin

Explore the home of the poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay

In this episode of the podcast Someone Lived Here, Kendra brings you to Edna St Vincent Millay’s home in Austerlitz, New York. Steepletop, which she named after Steeplebush that grew on the property, was Millay’s home for 25 years. It was also the place she died.

In this episode, we walk through Millay’s home and property to better understand her poetry and her life. After Millay’s death, her sister Norma would become its steward. The episode focuses on Edna St Vincent Millay’s relationship with her mother and her sister.

Thank you to Holly Peppe, Mark O’Berski, and the entire Edna St Vincent Millay Society. The home is not currently open to the public, due to a financial crisis. You can learn more about the property and how to donate, here.

Music by Tim Cahill. Icon artwork by Ben Kirk. Transcription by Sam Fishkind.

Vincent and Eugen on the front porch of the main house, c. 1945
*Photo credit: Edna St. Vincent Millay Society*

Millay reading in her library at Steepletop, c. 1948 Photo credit: Edna St. Vincent Millay Society

Millay in the “Bird Window Seat” in her withdrawing room, c. 1948
*Photo credit: Edna St. Vincent Millay Society*

Vincent, Eugen and a friend enjoy a dip in the pool. Bathing suits were prohibited. c. 1938
*Photo credit: Edna St. Vincent Millay Society*

Below is a transcript for season 1, episode 7 of Someone Lived Here at Edna St Vincent Millay’s home in Austerlitz, New York. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading →

Edgar Allan Poe Cottage

August 12, 2019April 12, 2023 admin

Explore the final home of the writer and poet

Rocking chair owned by Edgar Allan Poe – Photo by Via Perkins

Listen to the 7-minute bonus episode for Edgar Allan Poe Cottage which includes recordings and stories I couldn’t fit in the original episode. We talk about how I struggled to parse the truth about such a revered writer, I also learned more about his wife and a missing Daugerrotype. You can listen by joining Someone Lived Here’s Patreon at any level.

In this episode of the podcast Someone Lived Here, Kendra brings you to Edgar Allan Poe Cottage in the Bronx. This unassuming cottage was the final home of the writer Edgar Allan Poe and the home his young wife and cousin, Virginia Clemm Poe, died in.

In this episode, we walk through the small cottage, learn more about the man, his addiction and his writing. We see the items he and Virginia owned, a rocking chair, a mirror, and the bed Virginia died in.

Thank you to Vivian Davis, the Bronx Historical Society, and the Historic House Trust. You can see the Edgar Allan Poe Cottage visiting hours on their website.

Special thanks to Via Perkins who took photos of the cottage below. Music by Tim Cahill. Icon artwork by Ben Kirk. Transcription by Sam Fishkind.

Mirror owned by Edgar Allan Poe – Photo by Via Perkins

Virginia’s deathbed – Photo by Via Perkins

Kendra with Edgar Allan Poe cutout – Photo by Via Perkins

Below is a transcript for season 1, episode 6 of Someone Lived Here at Edgar Allan Poe Cottage in Bronx, NY. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading →

Lewis Latimer House

June 17, 2019April 11, 2023 admin

Explore the Queens home of inventor Lewis Latimer

Lewis Latimer's house currently — Photo credit: Lewis Latimer House Museum

Listen to the 10-minute bonus episode for the Lewis Latimer House which takes recordings I couldn’t fit in like the family piano, additional artwork and poetry of Lewis, and more on the Latimer family’s creativity. You can listen by joining Someone Lived Here’s Patreon at any level.

In this episode of the podcast Someone Lived Here, Kendra brings you to the Lewis Latimer House in Queens, NY. Lewis Latimer was an inventor and electrical pioneer who shaped the history of objects we still use every day. He was African American and the son of slaves.

While you walk through the Queen Anne style home you’ll learn about Lewis Latimer and the ups and downs of his career. Through his journal entries and poetry, you’ll better understand his relationship with his work, his race, and his family. He was a poet and an artist so you’ll hear one of his poems entitled The Worker.

Thank you to Alex Unthank for guiding us through the home and teaching us more about Lewis Latimer. The Lewis Latimer House Museum is a member of the Historic House Trust.

Lewis Latimer and his house in the 1900s — Photo Credit: The Queens Library

Lewis Latimer the subject of this podcast episode — Photo credit: The Queens Library

Lewis Latimer's invention, the carbon filament — Photo credit: *Lewis Latimer House Museum*

Music by Tim Cahill. Icon artwork by Ben Kirk.

YouTube Video of Lewis Latimer podcast episode with captions and imagery

Below is a transcript for the second episode of Someone Lived Here at the Lewis Latimer House in Flushing, Queens. If you have any questions about the show or suggestions on how to make it more accessible please reach out at someonelivedhere@gmail.com.

Continue reading →