Not sure on the style – looks Victorian folk to me but I would probably refrain from calling the third floor “servants quarters” in 2020

You're right and I edited my post. The house was built in 1916 and I used the term an old realtor used. What she meant was a live-in area for a nanny or Au pair. Could someone explain the difference between a Victorian folk and a Victorian farm house? I'm not seeing anything on Google except pictures. It seems like my house "looks" like a Victorian farm house, but because it wasn't on a farm, is that term incorrect? Or does farm house refer to a style only and not location? Any websites or references would be helpful. Thanks!

I think the liberal use of the term "farmhouse" as a style is a recent phenomenon. A farmhouse is not a style. A Victorian folk house on a farm is a farmhouse. Get this book from library : "A Field Guide to American Houses (Revised): The Definitive Guide to Identifying and Understanding America's Domestic Architecture".

And if it was built in 1920 it isn't a "Victorian"!

Indeed, a 1920 house would be an Edwardian!

It was built in 1916 according to town records. However, I did see some property records that showed it was built 1896. Apparently there was a fire in the records department in 1916 and I was told some houses were reclassified. Anyway, my home was either built in 1896 or 1916 - not sure if there is any official way to tell by looking at it.

Victorian era was 1837-1901. Anything after 1901 is not Victorian. Edwardian-era technically ended in 1914 so your house is post-Edwardian.

https://www.janinestone.com/luxury-lifestyle/georgian-victorian-and-edwardian-homes/

Don’t get hung up on terminology. The only difference is ornamentation. I have a 1880 & it doesn’t fit into any category....other than Old house.

Wow @Ash thank you for posting that info! I started looking and could spend HOURS on that site! I found out that some of the streets near me had different names, pretty neat! I'm not sure I found the year it was built but there are so many maps to go through so will spend more time on it tonight. Very cool, thank you!!!!

Nice house! I definitely think your house dates earlier than 1916, and reminds me more of a “ carpenters’ ” Queen Anne style than a Gothic. But these type houses were usually built without designers and with very simple plans so they can have multiple influences gathered casually and locally.

@ulisdone, thank you and good eye! With @Ash help I was able to find my property on a Sanborn map. It was on an 1911 map which indicates it was built earlier than what's recorded by my city (1916). Here is a snippet. Mine is in the middle. It sounds like there was a hen house behind the carriage house? I love learning about the history of my home. Has anyone ever gone to city hall and would they have additional info like all the owners and maybe more pictures?

Many cities and or counties will have plat maps that will include your lot. This is often included with a book and page number in the legal records, hopefully online.

The plat would include the date the lots were created legally and if good record keeping was done, you should be able to see a plat map of your area and its name ( e.g. Smith Annex ). Often people made handwritten notes on these old plats, like who bought what lot, etc. Even if no extra info is on the plat, they often are wonderfully drawn plans and it would be great to get a copy.

You should definitely track down all the former owner’s names. The Registrar of Deeds or the Clerk of Court ( or whatever they are called in your area ) should have this info, possibly online.

Once you have names you can find out if a local library, museum, or the city have the old census records.

To really spend time, find out if any of those institutions has microfilms or digital copies of the local newspapers within the correct time frame. Local papers used to print ordinary comings and goings of the people in the area, and you may spy your homeowner’s name. Hopefully not in the “ police blotter” column.

I laughed at loud at the police blotter comment. Thank you, I needed that! These are all great ideas. When things clear up here, I will go down to the Registrar of Deeds. Online for some reason it only goes back to 1975 when my parents bought the house. I wish it went back further. It'd be nice to reach out, maybe see if they had some old photos of the home, etc. I tried asking my neighbors but they haven't been here as long.

@ulisdone might be right about the simple Queen Anne style as your house is broader than mine--I'm so use to only seeing very ornate Queen Annes, but of course there would be simpler versions like there are with the Carpenter Gothic and other Victorian era houses.

In addition to the Registrar and Clerk's offices, my city even has Metro Archives where all the city records (deeds, wills, licenses, etc.) are together in one amazing resource library. Your Registrar of Deeds office could tell you if you all have one as well. Good luck!!

My home was built in 1848. We have seen the original deed. It has had a few changes over the years but I am really interested in finding out what style of home it could be. There are high pitched rooves, gingerbreading or decorative woodwork in the pinnacles all hung by a large 4x4 type decorative center piece of wood, change in siding decorations and paint between the 3rd and 2nd floors to name a few items. I have always called it a Farmhouse as it was one of the few homes on the dirt road when first built. It currently sits near a state rural highway in NJ. There is a lot of history but few pictures of my home or area.

Just because “people” get offended, doesn’t mean you can erase History. I can’t believe that someone actually got offended FIRST thing when someone was just looking for information.