Hearthside - The House That Love Built

HAND HOOKED STAIR TREADS FOUND

After being missing for decades, the hand hooked stair treads that once adorned the front staircase have been found and are now back in place. The beautiful rugs were designed and handmade by Penelope Mowbray over 40 years ago when the family lived at Hearthside. A different scene appears on each stair riser, and a multi-colored pattern is on each stair. Each scene had a special meaning for the family, such as the bald eagle which was fashioned after her HAND HOOKED STAIR TREADS FOUNDson Drew’s favorite belt buckle, Sayles Memorial Church where Mrs. Mowbray taught Sunday School, her daughter Sherry’s horse which was kept out in the back barn, and of course, their home, Hearthside.

Once Mrs. Mowbray sketched out her designs, she cut wool into strips and dyed the pieces to the desired colors. Each piece then had to be custom fitted to the curved stairs. A busy family life took over in the middle of the project, and Mrs. Mowbray was never able to complete the entire staircase. She removed the rugs to protect them from being damaged by her cats clawing, and they had been missing until Friends of Hearthside volunteers stumbled upon them at the bottom of a closet.

Roz Rustigian of Rustigian’s Carpet was so thrilled with the handiwork when the rugs were brought in for cleaning, that she generously donated her services and professionally installed them back onto the staircase in April 2004. The stair treads, besides making the house feel like a home, help tell another chapter of Hearthside’s beloved history---the Mowbray era.

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