Sometimes, going home is just what you need. Especially after surviving a pandemic in a city far from where you grew up.

Stacie Grissom and Sean Wilson were high school sweethearts from Franklin, IN. They spent a decade living and working in New York City, making a family, before feeling a longing to return home.

Things just shifted in our mind when we were in New York City during the pandemic,” Grissom said. “It was just sirens all the time and it was a very tough place to live.”

Grissom said her husband was working at a hospital in the Bronx, one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods with COVID-19 at the time. “That moment in our lives kind of just reset a lot of things,” she said. “It just got me thinking, ‘What are you doing? What is the point of life? And it’s the people you should be around, the people that you love.”

Grissom and Wilson decided to move back to Franklin after the birth of their second child. They wanted to find a home with character and history, so when a friend sent them a listing for an old schoolhouse, they were intrigued.

Renovation of the schoolhouse. Photo courtesy of Grissom/Wilson

“The subject line of his email was ‘Don’t judge me,'” Grissom said. “I opened it and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I got chills down my spine.'” The schoolhouse had been built in 1914 and operated until 1934, after which it was used as a barn. Grissom and Wilson did their research, digging through old newspaper archives and visiting local museums.

“We actually talked to the 91-year-old woman whose parents used it as a barn,” Grissom said. “She was telling us all these stories and she was like, ‘You want to know what was inside there?'” The couple learned that the living room had been used to keep turkeys.

They really had to clean up,” Grissom added. “That was some gnarly stuff.”

Grissom and Wilson knew they needed help to bring their vision for the schoolhouse into reality. “I work in social media and content, I don’t know how to fix a roof,” Grissom said. They hired experienced contractors, plumbers, and electricians to help with the renovations. The process has not come cheap, but Grissom said they are investing their savings into the project. “This is going to be our life’s work,” she added.

An interior room of the former schoolhouse. Photo courtesy of Grissom/Wilson

Restoring an old building like the schoolhouse is a challenge, but Grissom and Wilson were determined. “Restoring things is a lot harder than building things new. It means a lot to have something with history,” Grissom said. They have already made significant progress, fixing the leaky roof and waterproofing the foundation.

“We’re trying to keep as much of the original character as possible,” Grissom said. They have revealed the wood floors and removed ceilings to fix beams and joists. They plan to turn former classrooms into bedrooms, sitting rooms, and kitchens.

Grissom and Wilson’s parents still live in Franklin, and even their siblings who had moved elsewhere have started to return to the town. The couple is happy to be back home. “Maybe our parents were kind of smart. This town’s pretty awesome,” Grissom said.

Stacie Grissom, right, and her husband, Sean Wilson, pose with their two children. Photo courtesy of Grissom/Wilson

Moving back to Franklin has given the couple a chance to focus on what matters most. They are excited to create a home where they can raise their family and make new memories.

“It’s definitely a thing where we are not planning to go anywhere. This is the thing we are investing in with all of our savings,” Grissom said.

For a look at the family’s amazing renovation so far, check it out below.

Sources: Daily Journal | Insider