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Sunday, September 27, 2026Est. 2026. Most of what's in here is older.

Don't fix it if it ain't broke

Still Running / Around the house

No. 0094Around the house

c. 1869

Door handle

Running about 157 years

Wobbly knobs, 150 years old, original to the house

An old turned brass doorknob on a wooden door in Quebec City, the paint worn away around the grip. Not the one in the story. — An old turned brass doorknob on a wooden door in Quebec City, the paint worn away around the grip. Not the one in the story. Photo: Wilfredor, CC0. The real one is in the original post.

This handle on the main door of a bedroom is about 150 years old. The previous owners lived in the house for 26 years and told the new ones that all the door hardware is original. The knobs are very wobbly, and they work perfectly. There are no keys.

The previous owners promised a binder of the house's history.

Retold from a post on r/Wellworn. Read the original

More from Around the house

No. 0117Around the house

Bryant furnace

A home inspector rarely sees one past 20 years A 1960s McClary-Easy natural gas furnace in a Winnipeg basement. Not a Bryant, and not the one in the story.

A 1960s McClary-Easy natural gas furnace in a Winnipeg basement. Not a Bryant, and not the one in the story.

Running 51 years

No. 0099Around the house

Star-Rite electric fan

$75 from a local ad, 100 years old that month

An early General Electric desk fan with brass blades, from the first decades of the 20th century. Not a Star-Rite, and not the one in the story.

Running 106 years

No. 0097Around the house

Electric sewing machine with knee control

A knee lever, and a cord you wired your own plug to An old Singer Model 128 sewing machine fitted with an electric motor, on its bentwood case base. Not the one in the story.

An old Singer Model 128 sewing machine fitted with an electric motor, on its bentwood case base. Not the one in the story.

Running 101 years

No. 0029Around the house

Rheem water heater

Only checked its age when the hot water stopped A Rheem electric water heater, much newer than the one in the story.

A Rheem electric water heater, much newer than the one in the story.

Running 46 years