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Brick & Mortar Monthly

Brick & Mortar Monthly, a column that follows one couple’s efforts to preserve a historic Hopkinsville home, is published monthly. It is written by Grace Abernethy, an artist and preservationist who purchased the old Dalton home, 713 E. Seventh St., with her husband Brendan in March 2023.

Brick & Mortar Monthly: In Hopkinsville’s old houses, the porch was an extension of the interior
Grace Abernethy•
Technological changes, including the popularity of TV and air conditioning, have altered the way and the extent to which we use porches.
Brick Mortar repoured porch
Brick & Mortar Monthly: A window into the Dalton house’s past
Grace Abernethy•
The fact that the Dalton house still had nearly all of its historic windows was a big selling point for Hopkinsville's Grace and Brendan Abernethy, whose restoration efforts now provide lessons for others working on older homes.
brendan replacing palladian feature
How the Dalton House became a parsonage for Hopkinsville’s First Methodist ministers
Grace Abernethy•
Brick & Mortar Monthly columnist Grace Abernethy uncovers the story of her home becoming a church parsonage 100 years ago this summer.
Dalton house side
All the small things: Paint analysis peels back layers of the Dalton house
Grace Abernethy•
In her most recent Brick & Mortar Monthly column, historic preservationist Grace Abernethy uses her favorite tool to peel back the layers of Hopkinsville's historic Dalton house.
cat in hallway
Brick & Mortar Monthly: The Dalton House was home to many Hopkinsville boarders
Grace Abernethy•
In the most recent installment of Brick & Mortar Monthly, Grace Abernethy explores the history of boarding houses through the lens of her historic home.
Dalton house boarders illustration
Dalton House served as backdrop to daily life for sisters Sarah and Margaret
Grace Abernethy•
In the most recent installment of Brick & Mortar Monthly, Grace Abernethy highlights the lives of Sarah and Margaret Dalton.
dalton house music room
A house for a car: Dalton House garage among earliest examples
Grace Abernethy•
At a time when there were only a few Hopkinsville homes with cars, the forward-thinking Monroe Dalton built a house with a garage.
Dalton-house-side-1
Dalton brothers’ bricks built a lasting legacy
Grace Abernethy•
The Dalton brothers' legacy can be seen in the brickwork of historic buildings throughout downtown Hopkinsville.
brick-and-mortar
Brick and Mortar Monthly: Everything and the kitchen sink
Grace Abernethy•
The kitchen, along with quarters for cooks who worked in the Dalton house, reveal more stories about the historic Seventh Street house.
dalton outside ell
Elements of Style: A Colonial Revival home in Hopkinsville
Grace Abernethy•
When it comes to the Colonial Revival architectural style, there is more than meets the eye, writes historic preservationist Grace Abernethy.
entry transom
Brick & Mortar Monthly: Meet the Dalton House
Grace Abernethy•
Grace and Brendan Abernethy, transplants from Nashville, were looking for a "good wreck" of an old house when they found their place on East Seventh Street in Hopkinsville.
Dalton house