Lau e
I aeta’s
home.
Whe
Lau e
I aeta
a d
he
husba d
bought
a
old
wate f o t
house,
they
expected
to
spe d
thei
weeke ds
epai i g
timbe
a d
eplaci g
outdated
plumbi g.I stead,
afte
a
10-mo th
e ovatio ,
the
44-yea -old
eal
estate
age t
became
a
histo ical
i vestigato .
She
bega
esea chi g
the
people
who
had
lived
i
the
house
a d
eco ecti g
thei
desce da ts
with
fo gotte
family
items
a d
eco ds.I
a
exclusive
i te view
with
PEOPLE
magazi e,
I aeta
explai ed
how
esto i g
the
histo ic
home
tu ed
i to
a
lo g-te m
effo t
to
eco d
the
sto ies
of
the
people
who
had
lived
the e
ove
the
past
150
yea s.
Resto i g
a
sea
captai ’s
wate f o t
home
The
couple
bought
the
wate f o t
p ope ty
as
expe ie ced
home
e ovato s
looki g
fo
thei
ext
p oject.
I aeta
was
ot
immediately
co vi ced,
but
the
house’s
u usual
histo ic
featu es
soo
cha ged
he
mi d.“My
husba d
fell
i
love
with
this
house
i sta tly
a d
I
eeded
a
little
bit
of
co vi ci g,”
I aeta
told
PEOPLE.
“The
cha m
of
the
house,
the
f o t
po ch
a d
the
widow’s
walk
at
the
ve y
top
is
somethi g
you
could
eve
fi d
i
a y
othe
house.”The
physical
e ovatio
took
10
mo ths
of
co ti uous
wo k.
The
couple
made
st uctu al
epai s,
ope ed
some
i te io
walls,
a d
added
two
bath ooms
while
keepi g
the
o igi al
cha acte
of
the
house.
“It
e ded
up
bei g
a
huge
labo
of
love,”
I aeta
said.
“The
house
still
looks
like
a
old
house,
but
does ’t
have
old
p oblems.”Afte
the
e ovatio
was
fi ished,
I aeta
bega
sea chi g
local
eco ds
a d
a chives.
He
esea ch
suggested
that
the
house
was
p obably
built
a ou d
1860
by
a
sea
captai ,
maki g
it
much
olde
tha
local
tow
eco ds
had
i dicated.
Names
ca ved
i side
the
widow’s
walk
He
sea ch
became
mo e
i te esti g
whe
she
explo ed
the
widow’s
walk,
a
ooftop
featu e
whe e
wives
histo ically
watched
the
wate
fo
ships
etu i g
home.I side
the
space,
ea lie
eside ts
had
ca ved
a d
w itte
thei
ames
i to
the
woode
walls.“I
that
oom
o
the
wall
a e
ames
w itte
a d
ca ved
i to
the
wood,”
I aeta
told
PEOPLE.
She
has
si ce
c eated
a
complete
list
of
the
p ope ty’s
ow e s
a d
the
yea s
they
lived
the e.
“I
have
the
ame
of
eve y
ow e
a d
whe
they
lived
he e.”He
esea ch
eve tually
led
he
to
desce da ts
of
fo me
eside ts,
i cludi g
the
elde ly
g a dchild e
of
the
home’s
thi d
ow e s.
The
sibli gs,
ow
i
thei
80s
a d
livi g
i
Califo ia,
did
ot
k ow
that
thei
late
fathe
had
w itte
a
10-page
accou t
of
his
childhood
i
the
house
a d
the
su ou di g
commu ity
a ou d
1910.I aeta
fou d
the
family
a d
gave
them
a
copy
of
the
docume t.“Thei
child e
did ’t
k ow
this
existed,”
I aeta
told
PEOPLE.
“I
ece tly
t acked
them
dow
i
Califo ia
a d
gave
them
a
copy.”
Discove i g
fo gotte
histo y
i
the
backya d
I aeta’s
esea ch
has
also
helped
explai
physical
discove ies
a ou d
the
p ope ty.
O e
example
is
a
small
pet
cemete y
hidde
i
the
backya d.She
co ti ues
to
co tact
desce da ts
of
fo me
eside ts
i
a
effo t
to
lea
the
ames
a d
sto ies
of
the
a imals
bu ied
the e.Afte
21
yea s
as
a
eal
estate
age t,
I aeta
said
the
p oject
has
cha ged
the
way
she
thi ks
about
houses
a d
p ope ty
ow e ship.“K owi g
that
eve y
house
has
a
sto y
a d
how
emotio al
it
is
whe
you
leave
a
house,
fo
whateve
easo
it
may
be,
I
feel
fo tu ate
to
be
he e
a d
feel
ve y
co ected
to
the
people
that
lived
he e
befo e
us,”
I aeta
said
i
the
PEOPLE
epo t.
“I’m
excited
to
see
what
else
I
u cove .”