Picture Vernon — Barber's Mysery Solved

VERNON, CT — The latest installment of the Picture Vernon sereies takes us to Davis Avenue and modern times to solve a mystery related to a home dating back to the late 1800s.

At No. 29 sits the Ralph Barber House, stately yellow Victorian that went on the market this week.

The home is not small — it measures more than 4,000 square feet — and is preserved to period, save for the modernized kitchen.

There is a slight discrepancy on the home's origin. The listing puts construction at 1900 and the Vernon Historical Society name plate credits Ralph Barber, circa 1896.

Nothing could be found on Barber during a quick search earlier this week, so a call was placed to the Vernon Historical Society.

Realtor.com

Poof ... the society came through with an answer about Mr. Barber.

The house was built in 1896 for Ralph Barber, who was a farmer for many years in the center of town. In 1881, he ventured into the Rockville section of Vernon to run a hardware store, first called Ransom and Barber then called Parker and Barber, according to historic records.

Records show that Davis Avenue was developed in 1881 to serve the burgeoning middle-class of Rockville, predominantly made up of skilled textile workers.

Click here for the home's real estate listing.

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Picture Vernon is a periodic series featuring images of the town, past and present.