The House that McReynolds Built

How long must a person live in a house before that house is named after them? Case in point, my house. The McReynolds House. A house that was built in 1860 by the McReynolds family, whose son, James Clark McReynolds, became a U.S. Attorney General under President Wilson and transitioned to a Supreme Courty Justice from 1914 - 1941. The house I own will probably never be known as The Sweeney House. Maybe because I will never be a Supreme Court Justice or a U.S. Attorney General.

Part of the reason, a big part of why I wanted this house, was that it holds historical significance. That, and the fact that it seems to call out for someone to give it love. My house reminds me of Miss Havisham from "Great Expectations". The jilted bride who's left alone for decades, but still dressed in her wedding finery, waiting for her significant other. My hope is that I can breathe life back into this house, and that I am able to bring my "great expectations" to fruition.

So when will this jilted bride take the name of her new owners? Probably never. It may always and forever be known as "The McReynolds House". So completely identifiable with the first owners, the apostrophe "s" after McReynolds no longer necessary. It is the history of the house, not who it belongs to, that defines it. And the truth is, I am fine with that. I love this old jilted house.