The Yellow House Tour

I have a soft spot for yellow houses. Maybe you do as well. Through the years, they have found me in places from Pennsylvania to Florida. One photo was even caught from the window of a moving streetcar in New Orleans.

My friend, Bronson, says “I never forget a house” (and he does not - I can testify), but in looking across this little collection, it dawned on me that neither do I. As these were pulled from the database for the purposes of this post, their locations effortlessly came to mind.

The one, above, lives on Bay Street in Beaufort, South Carolina. The April light was stunning, and it has found a place near the top of my list of favorites ever since. I was built in 1896 sporting some Victorian gingerbread that has since been removed.

No such removal, here, however. An astonishing bit of business has been standing on Reynolds Street in Brunswick, Georgia since 1891. It certainly astonished me.

The technical story is that an architect named J.A. Wood designed this house for Brunswick resident Timothy Mahoney, in an unusual Carpenter Gothic style called Moorish Victorian, but a more apt statement would be that J.A. Wood woke up one morning and decided to execute a structure that would have made the likes of Cecil B. DeMille, P.T. Barnum and perhaps Walt Disney sit down in the middle of the road and weep for joy.

And moving streetcars notwithstanding, this little folly on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans smiled from behind some thick foliage, the little bits of trefoil trim marching across the facade in perfect formation.

Not to be outdone in the trim work department, the white petticoat gracing this Pennsylvania farmhouse near Lancaster was reason enough to dodge a bit of traffic in order to get the shot. Work like this was always handmade, often originating straight from the mind of a local craftsman. The variations are endless, and inspiring.

Speaking of inspiration, houses aren’t the only structures that sing when given a nice shade of yellow to wear. The year was 1889 when two sisters with a bit of money decided to help build a church. Hibernia and Harriett Ferrall donated a piece of family land in historic Halifax, North Carolina, so that a proper Catholic church building might be accomplished, their only stipulation being that it needed to be pretty. From somewhere on high, I hope the sisters are smiling, because their “pretty” church is still just that.

This lovely old place in Bainbridge, Georgia comes with a bittersweet side note. It was built in 1898 by John Donalson and originally featured some stained glass windows bearing the Tiffany signature. The story goes, however, that a recent owner bought the house, immediately sold the Tiffany windows, and then turned around and resold the house. If living well is truly the best revenge, though, this old girl is still holding her own, as if to say “Tiffany who?”.

Meanwhile, back in Halifax, NC and not very far from the lovely little church, a house named Sally-Billy presents an exquisite example of early 19th century tripartite design. Though the house is compact, the scale in person is much larger and very impressive - right down to the elaborate dentil moldings and Chinese lattice trim.

Florida holds a few yellow-house surprises, not the least of which is this Victorian beauty in the tiny town of McIntosh. From what I understand, the house for many years was not this color. Beloved local piano teacher, Miss Lois Dickinson, owned the place and always kept it white with green trim. Speaking as a huge fan of white houses with green trim, I can relate to the ruffled community feathers when a new owner decided to go bold, but knowing none of this back story, I was smitten on the early morning when I passed through town.

Across a broad lawn in Winnsboro, South Carolina, the 1853 Boylston House is one of many outstanding beauties in this historic Fairfield County town. Best viewed in the winter, I try to catch a glimpse of it every time I come through Winnsboro.

Another historic town that pulls me in with magnetic force is Georgetown, SC, and this gorgeous girl in her yellow dress is but one example why. Georgetown is “old” in the best sense of the word, and by those standards, this late 1800’s house is a baby - but that makes her no less photogenic.

The winner of the yellow-house prize, however, is this Second Empire masterpiece in Shelby, North Carolina. Built in 1874 by local banker, Jesse Jenkins and designed by noted architect G.S.H Appleget, the house is widely considered one of the finest examples of Second Empire design in the entire state. It is known as the Bankers House for good reason. Not long after completing this house, Jesse Jenkins suffered a reversal of fortune and lost it at public auction. Throughout the next century, it changed hands multiple times. As fate would have it (and totally unscripted) each new homeowner was owner/founder or a prominent partner of a local bank. These days, the Banker’s House is open for public tours on the first Friday of each month.

Why yellow? And why do we love it so? I have no idea. All I know is that from north to south and east to west, any time one of these beauties crosses my path, I am compelled to stop and pay homage. I hope you have enjoyed this little tour as much as I enjoyed finding every one of these treasures.

All photos by Beth Yarbrough.