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The Ebenezer Pierce homestead
 T he
Ebenezer Pierce homestead is a rare find – a circa 1740 saltbox. Saltboxes are much in
demand in other parts of our country and so are frequently dismantled
and “exported” westward! We experienced this phenomenon first hand when
we discovered the Spaulding homestead in
Townsend,
MA. and managed to purchase the property before a
couple from
Illinois
flew into town to cart it away! Even more than a cape, the saltbox
represents the quintessential colonial New England homestead to many
homeowners.
 The
Pierces built this lovely saltbox sometime in the 1740’s.
For
those of you who know the Maxcy Fisher homestead, the interior of the
original Pierce homestead will feel very familiar. When you enter the front
door, the stairway is directly ahead and, yes, the stairs are steep. To the
left is a generous room with its own fireplace – this was used as the
parent’s bedroom and general guest room. To the right of the front hall was
another large room that might have been the original keeping room prior to
the back shed addition that created the saltbox profile. The central
chimney accommodated five fireplaces, - three downstairs and two upstairs –
just like Maxcy Fisher.
 The
house was sheathed in very wide
pine board and painted a mustard yellow
color. That’s unusual, so we think the house wasn’t
clapboarded until sometime after it was built. And, in typical Yankee
fashion, the house had various barn additions to the back of the house,
keeping animals and humans in close quarters!
 We
offer this house as a reproduction – well, our definition of
reproduction, which doesn’t skimp on old beams and flooring, wonderful
interior brick fireplaces and other period detailing. Or – and we would
love to work with anyone interested in taking on such a project – as a
true “new old house” – dismantling the original homestead and then
rebuilding it just as we did Maxcy Fisher!
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Old Flooring |
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 It
pains us when we pass by old houses
being “remodeled” and see piles and piles of old flooring being thrown
out the window as junk. Dear readers, never do that – never. Carefully
take up the old flooring, if you must, (and yes, save the old nails for
they were made by hand and many can be re-used, with care) and take it
to your local lumber company to have it re-planed. If you don’t want
it, they’ll probably buy it from you, then turn around and sell it for a
premium price. Don’t believe us? Well, check out these specialty
lumber companies to get the skinny on recycled flooring:
www.wideboardplanks.com ,
www.longleaflumber.com and
www.oldwoodworkshop.com .
Why is old
flooring a premium commodity? It’s because it’s color and quality
can’t be beat; because, after being cleaned, sanded, and sealed the
floors take on a golden glow- literally. And all the dings and
nail holes only add to their charm and character.
We suppose in a few decades bamboo will be among the most widespread
material available for wood flooring – and that North American pine and
hardwoods will cost much, much more than they do today. Sigh. We
admire bamboo – it grows fast and it’s very strong - but our
hearts will always belong “to the real thing.” |
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Designing our homes:
 How
do we do it? Well, in addition to our own design experience, we
draw on the expertise of our contractors and a retired builder,
Larry Bagley, who started his own company, Laurence B. Bagley Designs, a number
of years ago. Larry uses his CAD system to lay out our floor plans, figure out
roof slopes and, generally, put the various pieces of our homes
together. He’s the soul of patience as we hunch over his computer
talking through the nitty-gritty details of construction. He’s a
good man to have in our corner, so a public thank you!
CLICK to email him. |
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Hollis Old Homes Day:
 Fall
is a glorious time in
New England when many local towns find time to hold a parade. The
Hollis Old Homes Day parade began at the high school, within view of
the Maxcy Fisher homestead.
Click here to
learn more about Hollis. |
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Do You Know? |
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Where did the
expression “Three sheets to the wind” come from?
Think about it
for a bit and email us with your answer. You will find the answer in our
next issue.
Answer to last month's quiz:
Where did the expression
"Dead as a doornail" come from?
We buy buckets of nails
today in all shapes and sizes and think nothing of it, but 200 years ago
nails were handmade, in short supply, and costly. So nails were used
sparingly – in flooring, sheathing and siding a house, and reinforcing
entry doors to make them strong. The expression “dead as a door nail”
derived from the use of driving large nails into wide plank doors to
give the doors extra heft and strength. The nails were bent once driven
into the wood so that they could never be pulled out and re-used. In
other words, they were “dead”. |
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The Builder's Corner |
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Billy Owens
Master Electrician
 There’ve
been a lot of changes in electrical wiring many homeowners might not be
aware of if they own an old home.
The problem is that while code require new construction to have the
latest and best, code doesn’t require upgrades in older homes. So older
homes are behind the curve when it comes to new technology and there’s
no way to require folks to upgrade. Homeowners just have to do it on
their own.
Now, most people have GFI protection in their kitchens and baths because
they know GFI is designed to protect them when they’re around sources of
water. Now there’s a new technology designed to protect property against
electrical fires. It’s called AFCI or arc fault circuit interrupters
that are installed in the electric panel in your home. AFCI is required
for all bedrooms in new homes because the data says a large number of
fires start in bedrooms. Arc fault technology is so sensitive that it
senses a short and trips the breaker before a spark can start a fire.
Here’s an example: sometimes when you’re using your vacuum cleaner and
you unplug it, you’ll see a spark. Well, the arc fault interrupter will
trip before that spark will happen.
There are lots of places where AFCI could be useful not only around the
house, but in barns, tool sheds and workrooms – just about anywhere you
want to protect your property. |
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Preview |
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Repairing Structural
Timbers
We’ll
be talking with Val Prest, of Goldsmith, Prest and Ringwall, a civil and
structural engineering company located in Ayer, Mass. (www.gpr-inc.com).
Why? Well, for those of us who love old homes, there comes a time when
repairs are needed and Val is an expert in the use of epoxy to repair
structural timbers. No, this is NOT shades of the Big Dig! Stay tuned!
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