Keith ... This is a draft of web page on the Colonial houses. .... Just a collection of comments. Just starting to deal with documentation, drawings, and retyping all the text pages.
Our houses are usually all stone. However, several remarkable structures are available representing key historic periods of Colonial America. They are wood frame houses that have been documented, disassembled, and are ready to be shipped USA. The 1688 frame house is 333 years old and is the oldest disassembled house in the Americas.
These houses were disassembled by craftsmen for the construction of a historic development by the University of Connecticut.
1688
1755
1777
The history is as follows. The University of
Connecticut paid to disassemble theses houses as excellent examples of their
respective periods. They planned an outdoor museum which, starting with 1688 had
a house for each 20 year interval. 1680-1700, 1700-20, etc, up to 1840. Then
each house was to be authentically furnished for each 20-year interval. Others were sold
elsewhere. I understand the 1688 house is the oldest disassembled house in the
Americas. The University did a study which I have establishing the date.
Enough material to produce each house entirely?
Answer: probably only for the 1688 house and the 1777 house as discussed
below.
The 1688 house was reasonably complete. But it
has been in storage since the 1990s so I can’t be sure all the parts are still
valid. The storage trailer has a good waterproof roof so all is hopefully still
ok but an expert needs to view the material to be sure.
The 1777 house and the 1755 house (both gambrel)
are packed together because one was moved to be an el for the other. There are
7 rafters missing from the 1755 house because there was a large dormer installed
later there. Seven substitute rafter must be found or else the 1755 house would
simply serve as a great supply of spare parts. These houses were also
disassembled in the 1990s and placed in trailers so again an expert should view
them to ensure the parts are still serviceable.
Can they be shipped now? (They are in
Connecticut) Answer: as noted above the 1688 house can go on its own but I’m not sure
the trailer is road worthy. Need an expert to determine. Ditto the 1777 house.
More visual material? Not much more in the way
of plans. Many photos during dismantling and complete schematic notes for the
1755 and 1777 houses. I’ll Saenz a sample in a separate email.
Each element has a metal
tag stamped with a reference number tying it to schematics for reconstruction.
An inventory for each house is included below.
The three houses are:
Crippen Hurd House dated 1688
formerly of Moody’s Ct. about 1200 square feet originally built into a
hillside.
Henshaw House dated 1755 from
Middletown Ct and about 1400 square feet.
Boardman Danforth House 1777 also
from Middletown Ct and about 3325 square feet and 3 stories with gambrel roof.
In all about 8000 board feet of wide board flooring, sub flooring and siding and over 400 posts, beams, and other structural elements.
I think it best to market the 1688 house with the
plan to add two posts on the first floor so it need not be fitted into a
hillside. The aesthetics improve with better window placement. While I have the
interior doors, staircases, and vertical board walls, I don’t have the windows
(except one taken as a sample). Typically rebuilds use new windows to better
insulate. So the windows can be place however you want.
Then I’d offer the 1755 and 1777 house together.
Again only a sample window so they’d have to be supplied.
If you wanted
period windows,I do have enough or almost enough for the 1777 house. The 1777
house otherwise has much original interior: staircases panel walls and fireplace
surrounds doors, etc. There wasn’t much interior of the 1755 house found. I had
planned to use the 1777 house as the main house and the shell of the 1755 house
as an attached garage.
Keith ... This is a draft of web page on the Colonial houses.
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