Davy Crockett (better known as “the king of the wild Frontier”, (thanks to Walt Disney), was born here… Morristown, Tennessee.
His parents ran the local tavern… here’s a recreation of it…
Originally posted 2015-08-30 13:36:48.
This is the Mary Stith House, located in Colonial Willamsburg, Virginia.
What a gorgeous building.
“Mary Stith lived to see independence and the establishment of the Republic. She wrote her will in 1813. Among its beneficiaries were her African American servants, to whom she left her shop. Her will shows her depth of feeling for them:
“All the coloured people in my family being born my slaves, but now liberated, I think it my duty not to leave them destitute nor to leave them unrecompensed for past services rendered to me. As in the cause of humanity I can do but little for so many, and that little my conscience requires me to do, therefore I subject the whole of my estate to the payment of my just debts, and to the provision which I herein make for them.”
With the exception of few small legacies to white friends, Stith left most of her considerable estate, including three buildings and the ground on which they stood, to her freedmen.”
Learn more about her at…
http://www.history.org/almanack/places/hb/hbstith.cfm
Originally posted 2015-08-29 15:12:19.
For those who appreciate the “bones” of an old house here’s one for you… the roof system of an old estate home in England.
Most people have little interest in those parts of a home that aren’t seen after a house is completed, which is one of the reasons that homes are built so poorly these days and with materials that are more glue than they are wood.
Originally posted 2015-08-29 13:47:36.
I have a dear friend who purchased a new home a few years ago complete with a front porch. But, for some reason (likely money savings), the architect and builder made the porch only four feet wide. A porch this narrow is wide enough to put furniture across it, and allow people to squeeze in there with barely enough leg room to not touch the railing. Go figure.
I have found the ideal size of a porch to be eight feet. Any larger and the porch often overwhelms the house (unless it is a large home), and any smaller and it’s just not practical.
Originally posted 2015-08-29 13:28:18.
I suppose you could call this a “boathouse”.
A boat is certainly designed to keep the water out so why not make use of a boat to protect yourself from water coming from above?
Originally posted 2015-08-28 18:05:37.
I really like this stone farmhouse.
Isn’t she beautiful?
I like all stone houses, at least any built prior to the 1900’s, and many of them afterwards. But for some reason, I find this one pleases my eye more than most… and I have to ask myself why is that? (which is a good habit for everyone to develop) It’s not the color of the windows, it’s not the level of quality in the stonework. Nor is the location, which is very nice. And thankfully there is a nice roof on the house and not an asphalt shingle distraction.
So, what is it about this place?
I think what makes her special is that she is small… and tall.
Most older stone homes have three windows across the front, they are longer, and the result is more of a farmhouse look… or even that of a fortress. By shortening this house by a third the builder has created an impression of a stone cottage.
It appears that an addition has been created off of the one end of this house… which gives the house the same square footage as her larger sisters… Well done! and a tip of the hat to this builder!
Originally posted 2015-08-28 17:53:30.
I do love a thatched roof… there is something about a roof that is all natural that I find very comforting.
Originally posted 2015-08-28 17:38:34.
Just going down to the basement dear.
Here we have a three-fold knock out combination… the beauty of natural stone, the added elegance of a curved stairway, and as a finishing touch… all that wonderful natural light pouring in from the staircase window.
Of course today our building codes would demand a handrail on that staircase. I wonder what the kings of old would have said to the local building inspector upon being given an inspection failure slip? lol
I don’t know if I will ever achieve a staircase like this for myself, but I do my best when designing or building a home to make sure that a window finds it’s way into the staircase.
Originally posted 2015-08-27 14:02:41.
Cruck frames, common in England, make use of naturally curved timbers.
A cruck frame is incredibly strong, and visually striking.
Originally posted 2015-08-26 12:21:01.
Here’s a diagram of an early New England home… I love it. Who wouldn’t feel at home is such a place!
You can tell it’s a New England home because…
1) I’ve never seen a diagram of southern timber frame home… sad isn’t it? What’s up with that?
2) The horizontal members between the rafters, known as “purlins”, were not used in the Mid-Atlantic and further south… roof systems were rafters only.
3) The roof sheathing, those boards between the roof rafters and the shingles, would run horizontally not vertically.
4) The corner angle bracing in this diagram goes up to the top plate. Here in Virginia and the surrounding states it goes down to the sill timber.
Clearly both methods are attractive, and both have held up homes for centuries… so the difference is more about “regional flavor” rather than right or wrong.
Originally posted 2015-08-25 17:58:10.
