Welcome, howlnmad! I'm brand new here myself and I've already discovered a wealth of information and best of all, that people really do like to help one another. (or show how smart they are... in the nicest of ways!)
I hope you treat that old house with love and care and keep everything intact to the best of your ability. I've seen some heartbreakingly awful things done to some beautiful old homes - fantastic Arts and Crafts built-ins ripped out because they wouldn't accommodate a 50 inch flatscreen TV, gorgeous emerald green tiles imprinted with fleur de lis torn out around the fireplace and hearth and replaced with homogenous crap from Home Depot.
I have to wonder why someone would buy a heritage home and make it into a modern cookie cutter replica of the hideous houses being built these days...
A friend of mine owns a 100 year old house and has managed to update it without sacrificing the integrity of the original. He even kept the old light switches and outlets while updating all the wiring. This is not an inexpensive way to go, I realize, but you can only do one room at a time anyway if you're living in the house during this process.
My two bits worth... Hope to see photos when you find your way around!
Cheers,
Holly