Old House Summit

05/12/2026

🙌🙌🙌

05/11/2026

⭐Speaker Announcement⭐

Mike McGirr chose Bristol, Virginia as his “Forever Home” in April of 2023, moving here from Greenville, South Carolina.

His background is as varied as your grandmother’s quilt: a career in national Fortune 100 brand advertising, stints as a private chef to celebrities and billionaires, and networking family farmers across the southeast for access to local and institutional markets, mental health and su***de prevention resources.

Since landing in Bristol he’s joined the Industrial Development Authority, consults Beyond Housing in developing the Regional Workforce Housing Alliance, and More On Moore, A Workforce Housing Case Study.

Tickets are just $42
Link in comments

05/09/2026

⭐ Speaker Announcement ⭐
Whitney Manahan, AIA

Whitney Manahan is the Director of Architecture & Design for BurWil Construction and is a registered Architect in Tennessee and Virginia.

She grew up in Bristol, TN and attended The University of Tennessee. Whitney holds a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design and a Master of Architecture with an Urban Planning concentration.

While attending grad school, and for many years after, Whitney worked with a developer in Knoxville focused on downtown revitalization, historic preservation and adaptive reuse. She gained a wealth of technical experience as an in-house designer working primarily on projects receiving Historic Tax Credits as well as writing Nominations to the National Register of Historic Places. Over the years, Whitney taught a variety of history, studio & seminar courses in the College of Architecture & Design at the University of Tennessee.

She is the President of Knox Heritage's Board of Directors and chairs multiple committees for the organization.

05/06/2026

Do you like old houses… or do you love them?

Did you know that repairing an old house can actually be profitable, as well a huge help to your community?

👉👉👉On May 23, we’re bringing preservation to life at the Old House Summit at The Bristol Hotel.

This isn’t just another real estate event.

It’s a gathering of people, from Roanoke to Knoxville, who see something more in old homes... investors, preservationists, homeowners, and folks who simply can’t pass a weathered farmhouse without wondering who built it, why it still stands, and how it can be saved.

You’ll hear from speakers who understand both sides of the story... the history worth preserving and the real-world path to making these homes viable again. From tax credits and restoration to the hidden human stories literally pressed into brick and timber, this is where history and opportunity meet.

If you’ve ever felt drawn to an old house, this is your kind of room.

Tickets are limited... and this is the first time we’re bringing something like this to Bristol.

✔️There is a link to the tickets in the comments. There is great value in these tickets! You'll meet trades people, historians, and folks with the knowledge that keeps old buildings from becoming money pits.

🔥Join us on May 23🔥

05/05/2026

⭐ Speaker Announcement ⭐

On May 23 at the Old House Summit in the The Bristol Hotel.

A native of Marion, Virginia, Benjamin has spent years researching a little-known but deeply moving part of Appalachian history: fingerprints left behind in old handmade bricks by enslaved laborers. In some cases, these impressions may be the only surviving trace that a person ever existed. A thumbprint pressed into wet clay generations ago becomes more than a mark; it becomes a human signature carried through time.

Benjamin’s work is not simply about bricks. It is about memory, labor, craftsmanship, and the people whose stories were often left out of the historical record. Through his lectures and travels, he helps audiences see old buildings in an entirely different way... not just as architecture, but as evidence of lives lived, work endured, and history that should never be forgotten.

👉 Link to tickets in the comments.

⭐Do not miss this historic event⭐

05/03/2026

⭐Speaker Announcement⭐

We are excited to make our first announcement about our speaker lineup for the Old House Summit at the Bristol Hotel on May 23, 2026.

Will Glasco, CEO of Preservation Virginia

Born and raised in Richmond, Will Glasco became interested in Virginia history and culture at a young age after touring local historic sites and battlefields. He grew up working in his family's small business and was drawn to the historic port town of Wilmington, North Carolina, attending UNCW. After graduation in 2008 with a degree in Creative Writing, he worked for the American Civil War Museum in Richmond in both the Visitor Services and Development Departments. Beginning in 2014, he led the Development program at Preservation Virginia, and recently became Chief Executive Officer of the organization. He's working towards a graduate degree in American History at Gettysburg College, and serves on the boards of the Rural Plains Foundation in Hanover County and Historic Turkey Run House in Chesterfield County. He’s also past Chair of the Virginia Association of Fundraising Executives.

👉Tickets go on sale tomorrow!

04/29/2026

What is the first thing you'd do to this house?

04/21/2026

04/05/2026

Happy Easter, everyone! This is the garden of the Blount Mansion in Knoxville TN.

07/20/2025

Good afternoon, friends! We are here to share some bittersweet news with you. Shew Estate Sales is no more. Daniel's business, The Old House Agent - Daniel Shew, is soaring, requiring both of us to handle his listings, Historic Pleasant Hill, Bristol Virginia, and our sweet boy.

We are so grateful to everyone who trusted us and shopped with us! We made some great friends over the past 7 years. Now we will become shoppers and continue to support our other estate sale friends like Willow Creek Estate Sales, Inc, Dragonfly Estate Sales, Southern Belle Estate Sales, and Jean Burnette.

Please check out our other 2 pages and stay in touch! This page will transform into something in the future, so don't go anywhere.

With Love,
Monica, Daniel, and Rory

10/19/2024

Antique casket from the 1800s. This fascinating piece is on display at the Old Derry Inn, in Blountville TN. We attended a great little Fall festival. I'll be posting more photos tonight!