Laura Bush, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Me

Well, apparently Laura Bush's visit to the Laura Ingalls Wilder home merited pictures being allowed inside the home - when I toured it, the guide made it clear that no inside pictures were allowed.  Wonder what Laura Bush did to get clearance for that!!!  :-)  She visited in 2008 as part of the process of naming the home a National Treasure.

But - since photographs were taken when she visited, I'll take advantage of them, because I really wanted to post pics of the interior.  There wasn't one of the dining room where the books were actually written.  This was the kitchen, where we entered.  For quite awhile the family of three lived in this one room.  You can't see it, but behind Mrs. Bush, on the countertop under the window, the original linoleum has been used to cover the counter so that people can see what it was like.  The staff did a very careful match when new was installed, but it isn't exactly the same.  (BTW both Laura and Almanzo were very short, so he made her countertops very low.  I would never have been able to accomplish anything on those counters without killing my back.)  And the wallpaper has been hand-done to match exactly what the Wilders had used.  A scrap of the original is available to see that it really is a careful copy.

The stove was heated with wood, but Almanzo piped in water from the spring in the hill above, and some of it was circulated through the right half of the stove, so that Laura always had hot water.  This was way ahead of their time.  You can't see the 1930s sink, but it is to the right of the stove.

This was Laura's side of the bedroom.  The bed, bedding, paint, photos - everything is exactly as she left it.  Nothing has been replaced.  The bathroom that daughter Rose had installed is behind Mrs. Bush.  On Almanzo's side, the box containing his medicine - both prescription and over the counter - has never been emptied and still contains the meds he used when he died.

In the living room.  Mrs. Bush even got to go behind the barriers.  Sheesh, why didn't we get to do that!!

 And finally, here is Mrs. Bush standing outside the kitchen porch.  Notice the arbor to her left?

And notice the same arbor here?  I believe the bench in the photo above must have been moved to this location.

Glad Laura Bush went to the Little House so that I could show you her pictures.