Touching History: Event brings Dr. Norman Sloop back to his childhood home
Published on Saturday, June 29, 2024 at 12:10 a.m.
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Dr. Norman Sloop enters the historic Bradshaw House, where he spent his childhood.
Dr. Norman Sloop and CJ Peters, owner of the McCubbins-McCanless estate where Dr. Sloop was born, relax on the front porch of Bradshaw House.
Dr. Norman Sloop and Revolving Fund Manager Rachel Fink look at photos of the second floor of Bradshaw House.
On Thursday, the History on Tap tour gave area residents a chance to explore the Bradshaw House.
SALISBURY — Dr. Norman Sloop spent his youth in the 1930s in a home at what is now the corner of Park Avenue and North Shaver Street, and on Thursday Dr. Sloop returned to the Bradshaw House, whose exterior has been restored by the Historic Salisbury Foundation.
Throop and several members of his family visited the home as part of the foundation’s “History on Tap” event, which allows local residents to tour the city’s historic buildings, which are currently undergoing a revitalization phase of restoration, and learn some of their history.
Throop was born in the McCubbins’ McCanless House next door and later spent his childhood in the Bradshaw House, which his grandfather, D.C. Bradshaw, built between 1905 and 1906. On Thursday, Throop sat on the front porch of his childhood home and reminisced about the historic homes in the neighborhood and the families who lived there.
Across the street lived Sam Kessler, who worked at a Coca-Cola bottling plant, and Sloop said Kessler’s granddaughter, Barbara Waggoner, grew up in the house and would get angry when she got into trouble because Sloop would sit on the front porch and laugh.
Charlie Fisher also lived across the street. Throop said Fischer worked in the loading shed with his uncle. Fischer’s son, Fred Fischer, founded Fisher Athletic Equipment, which still has a manufacturing facility just outside the city on Coble Road. Throop said it was in that house that he first saw a refrigerator.
“I had a happy childhood here,” Sloop said.
Once inside, Sloop was able to examine the property closely and tell us what was different and what matched his memory. The kitchen, now a great room, was originally a separate pantry and kitchen. An additional entrance to the dining room was provided in the drawing room at the front of the house. The hallway between the front and back doors of the house was sealed off and half was used as a storeroom.
Thursday’s tour also included the Fisher-Tutterow House, located across the street from the Bradshaw House. Both homes are part of the Historic Salisbury Foundation’s revolving fund project, in which the foundation buys houses, restores them, sells them and uses the proceeds to buy another historic home. The homes also have conservation clauses that require buyers to maintain the homes’ historic elements.
“History on Tap allowed our community to see HSF’s Revolving Fund in action. Both properties are part of the fund and preservation covenants will be in place to ensure the homes’ historic character is maintained for decades to come. The DC Bradshaw House showed what the home will look like when stabilization is complete, and the Fisher-Tutterow House showed the reality of a property where our work is just beginning,” said Revolving Fund Manager Rachel Fink.
The foundation’s next project, the Tutterow House, was originally purchased solely as part of an effort to revitalize the neighborhood, Fink said, but once inside, visitors saw historic features such as the original beadboard, Dutch lap siding and oak and pine hardwood floors.
“We had an amazing turnout for the first of our three-part summer series. We had many HOT veterans in attendance, as well as some first-timers who were very excited about both. These events are an important part of what we do and help raise awareness of our mission of preserving and protecting historic structures,” said Executive Director Kimberly Stig.
A History on Tap event will be held at the old Lincoln Elementary School on South Shaver Street on July 25. The foundation is planning another tour on Aug. 22, but a location has yet to be determined, Stig said. Registration for both events is open. For more information, contact the foundation at 704-636-0103 or visit historicsalisbury.org.
