Lisa and Michael Johnson's house at 339 Transylvania Park is a living history museum of their street, its story, and its former residents. However, when the Johnsons no longer live here, it will still serve as a bridge between now and then because in its walls and yard are buried time capsules that tell the story of its current residents.
It all started with garbage. Lisa spotted some treasures in a neighbor's trash. The late Grant Bell, who used to live at 372 Transylvania, near the corner at Euclid Avenue, had more nostalgia than he could store, so the sewing box and wallet belonging to his mother, Mary Stone Bell, had to go. They didn't go far though; before they met their fate in the landfill, Lisa rescued them.
Somehow, Bell learned of Johnson's scavenging.
"When he found out I was taking his trash home with me, he called me up and said, 'I don't want you to hurt yourself so I'm just going to start leaving things on the porch,' " said Johnson. "One time he said, 'I know you truly love that stuff,' and I do because it's part of this neighborhood."
Lisa Johnson does love the neighborhood. She volunteers her time as president of the Aylesford Neighborhood Association, and loves to hear stories of the area's history.
The Johnson home has a history, too. Built in 1908, it was bought by Michael's parents in 1985. At the time it was divided into seven apartments. When Lisa and Michael's courtship commenced, his room was what is now their dining room. In 1995, they began the project of returning it to a single family home, tearing down every wall that wasn't original.
Once renovations were underway, the dÈcor started reflecting Lisa Johnson's finds. Instead of portraits of relatives, the Johnsons' front room features a painting of Benjamin Rogers Franklin, a distant relative of Bell's, who she said signed the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The sewing boxes are on display too, as is a 1852 dictionary, also from the Bell home. Other treasures have found their way to the Hopewell Museum in Paris, including photos of Barton Warren Stone, founder of the Disciples of Christ religion, and letters exchanged between grandchildren of Daniel Boone.
As the Johnsons have rebuilt existing walls, Lisa has inserted time capsules to be found the next time they come down. They include a letter to the future owners describing its current inhabitants, photos of the Johnsons, and baseball cards. "I try to encourage a lot of people to do that and let people know who lived there," Lisa said. "Someday they'll check the walls and find it and it'll be a surprise. You know these walls won't stay up here forever."
In the meantime, the Johnsons have created their own family lore. They are known in the neighborhood for their fantastic Halloween dÈcor that includes a faux cemetery, a coffin, fog creeping across the porch, and a witch that travels on a wire from the attic window to the trees in the street's median. "We live on Transylvania Park. Why wouldn't you have a good time at Halloween?" said Lisa.