I grew up in an old carriage house in an historic part of Marshfield. I remember as a child thinking back to what it must have been like with carriages in the rooms – like a car dealership with vehicles indoors. It was exciting to think where our piano sat there might have been a fancy cart that could hitch to a team of horses. I imagined salesmen rolling the carriages in and out of the double front door.

My husband and I are coming up on our third anniversary in our Vineyard home, and its roots (if less enchanting) seem somewhat similar to those of my childhood home. This one used to be a garage. With our downstairs renovation complete, it’s easier to appreciate our home’s history and the convenient, open floor plan that is today’s choice design.

The history of homes and properties is a theme that runs throughout this magazine: from Emily Post’s legacy garden in downtown Edgartown (page 34) to a property the owners just couldn’t sell in Aquinnah because of the family memories there and proximity to the ocean (page 42). There’s a glorious new home built to fit into the culture of a Vineyard Haven neighborhood (page 24) as well as a rebuilt house in West Tisbury that retains its naval barracks shape even after a fire destroyed it three years ago (page 16). We close the magazine with an ode to summer shacks, with their mismatched furniture from every decade, and telltale nicks and dings reflective of all their past residents (page 80).

What do you know about the history of your own Island home or property? We want to know – either in words or with a photo. We’ll publish our favorite responses in the next Home & Garden issue. For details, see the column to the left.