As to old houses and the amazing chunks of wood they used. My parents rented a house in Spotsylvania
County, Va from about '77 until about '79 or so, while my Dad built a house on the lake near there to retire
to. I helped a lot and stayed in the rented house, built in 1812. Old federal style, two story, four rooms per
floor, wide center hall all the way thru, each floor, and a staircase in the central hall. Kitchen was an outbuilding
originally, they burned too often to be part of the house, and were too hot in summer. New kitchen was built into
a porch.
In any case, one really sunny winter day, I noticed that the approximately 30" high wainscotting, a dark, apparently
painted material that I had never paid attention to (plaster from that to the 12 ft or so ceilings), with very bright
direct sunlight showed wood grain from across the room. I got up and examined it closely. I am pretty sure that
it is walnut, darkened varnish on it, but ONE BOARD, 30" wide or more around each room. Yikes. We crawled under it
one time to see the framing. The main beam, 65 ft long, IIRC, was about 30" deep and 15 inches wide, oak, hand
hewn. The two central cross beams were notched into it, about 18" tall and 12" wide, also hand hewn oak.
Pine floor planking was about 6" wide per board, all original. Original fireplace still operated on one room, stoves
and panels in the others, we built a few fires in there. An amazing fireplace.
The fire box seemed way too small, and the hearth, flush with the floor, seemed too big. We looked at the
small slot for smoke to go up and the depth ( seemed only about 12" deep as max firebox depth) seemed
too small. With some trepidation, tempered by "the sure had to know what the hell they were doing
in those days", we lit a small fire. It drew perfectly. As we gained confidence, and the season grew colder,
we built larger fires, until it seemed as if half of the fire was "out in the room". I gave off excellent heat,
and never a trace of smoke going anywhere but up the flue. I once twisted a piece of newsprint into a sort
of torch, lit it and then blew it out, to make a smoke wand. Held 6 ft from the fire a few inches off the
floor, the smoke went straight horizontally for the full distance and then smoothly joined the fire and up the flue.
The really DID know how to make fireplaces in those days, too.
Sadly, but maybe for the best, the old house, absolutely 100% original from the 1812 time until 1980 or so, was
bought up and made in to a B&B. The current pix show what I take to be a gutted and redone interior, not a trace
of the original wood showing, all painted everything. Really nice, but sad to me after having seen it as it originally was
even though a good but 'down at the heels' at that time. When we were there, the library was filled with original books
some printed in the 1700s, in great condition. All gone now. They added a porch out front that was never there,
the original red painted copper roof seems to be gone (it was in perfect condition, soldered standing seams), and the
old chicken coop is now a guest house. Progress. "Preservation"...... which looks more like destruction to me.
Bill
