MINERAL RIDGE, Ohio (WKBN) — A woman in Mineral Ridge is navigating the long road to restoring her ancestors’ house.

“This is where my ancestors lived,” said Mary Lou Moss Godleski, the house’s current owner. “They came from Luxembourg in 1855 and bought this house in 1859.”

And in 1990 — over 130 years later — Godleski bought her ancestors’ home back.

But it wasn’t as beautiful and historically accurate when she bought. It had been condemned, and there were dogs living where the kitchen now stands.

It took a lot of work to restore it to its 1800s-era glory.

“When we unearthed this fireplace, it was a miracle because it was all intact,” said Godleski. “It was all full of dirt.”

She repaired fire damage in the attic, worked to get electric, plumbing and gas to code.

Now, the three-story home is filled with photos of her ancestors and previous owners, as well as items from the time period.

Godleski said it means everything to her to own a big piece of her family’s history and to have an idea of how they lived.

“Really to me, it’s really thrilling. I used to think that this [stone] was worn down by maybe my ancestors rubbing their knives on here, sharpening their knives,” she said. “I had all these pictures in my mind of my ancestors living here and doing their day.”

After a decade of trying — Godleski got the home put on the national register of historic places this year.

“Things like this don’t always last, and so many of them get torn down,” Godleski said. “I don’t want it to be torn down. I want it to last so people can see and appreciate their ancestors and their families that came before them.”

The Moss Ancestral Home has an open house every second Sunday of the month.