ERIC KRAUSE
In business since 1996
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ERIC KRAUSE REPORTS
MY HISTORICAL REPORTS
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RANDALL HOUSE REPORTS
Randall House Museum, Wolfville,
Nova Scotia, Canada
http://wolfvillehs.ednet.ns.ca/
Historic Randall House
RANDALL HOUSE
A RECONNAISSANCE HISTORICAL REPORT
By Eric Krause
Krause House Info-Research Solutions
September 24, 2007
[Updated October 9, 2008]
Floor Plans (Source)
QUESTIONS
Reconnaissance Research Trip to Wolfville, Nova Scotia: Randall House ~ September 24, 2007
Prior to our visit, Ms. Elliott, on behalf of the Association, forwarded me some examples of the questions to which they wished answers:
INTRODUCTION TO THE VISIT
The goal of this reconnaissance trip was to determine the practicality of answering these questions during this visit. Replying yes, to some of them was enticing. At first blush, the building history of the Randall House appears relatively straightforward and understandable. However, as we moved about the rooms, details began to arise that raised even more questions. Some even impacted upon the eighteen questions above. It soon became clear that any answer would first require a better understanding of the house as a whole.
SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT
One of the discovered details was most startling. Found beneath the clapboards, high up in the two gable ends of the house, was a sheathing of bevelled boards. Reminiscent of those used at the Fortress of Louisbourg (1713-1758), on Cape Breton Island (Isle Royalle) beginning c. 1730, they were a rare application up and down the east coast of English North America during the immediate and postcolonial period. For example, besides French Louisbourg, there was the English Pierce House (built c. 1683 with a c.1765 application of bevelled boards).
Note: To examine the following two sites, please bookmark this Randall House page first so that you may easily return to it:
Obviously, these boards raise many questions of their own. Also unusual was the use of the timber in the construction in the basement of each of the two masonry chimney bases. A scientific analysis of the mortar for the stones might also reveal it to be earth-based (if it were not mortar with the lime leached out of it) rather than lime-based .
Both, the timber and the mortar, might reflect a local, period building practice. Likewise, might be the use of spilt boards rather than split laths for the plastered ceiling in the basement, and splines rather than tongues and grooves for at least some of the early ground-floor flooring boards. The support system in the basement for the original hearths of the ground floor fireplaces reflects a primitive but functional artisanship that deserves a closer look. The use of hand-wrought nails with rose heads here was quite apparent.
Requiring close research for interpretive and dating purposes are the following: the unusual relationship of the exterior stone and the interior hand-made bricks (some perhaps burnt and thus re-used) of the perimeter foundation, the original brick oven bricks located within the cupboard area, the variation in the orientation and size of the ground floor joists, the original rise of the present rear stairwell, the original "yellow ochre" colour found here and there, the dimensions of the ghosts of H&L hinges found here and there, the "Victorian" style hinges found here and there, the fire inserts, and the apparent series of partitioned areas in the attic.
Requiring cataloguing to determine chronological and aesthetical room differences are the door casings, window casings, and baseboards throughout the building. In particular, the original (18th-century style) baseboards in the second floor display closet are important.
Cataloguing the location of visible hand wrought, cut and wire nails, is, of course, critical to establishing any chronology within and without the house.
Observed, for leveling/setting the ground floor flooring, were shims, which might be shingles taken from the original source used for roofing the house.
And on and on this house talks to us.
PHOTOS
(Please Click on a Title to See the Image)
EXTERIOR
BASEMENT
(00 Series)
1. West central chimney base - North side [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - S.W. of Stair Well
2. Ceiling detail of North West section - 'Finished' room [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - N.W. of Stair Well
3. Ceiling detail of North West section - 'Finished' room [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - N.W. of Stair Well
4. Ceiling detail of North West section - 'Finished' room, with flash [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - N.W. of Stair Well
5. North foundation wall showing top dressing of brick [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] -North
6. Alcove of 'finished room' between chimney base and West wall showing board shelf [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - S.W. of Stair Well
7. East Chimney base [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - S.E. Area
8. East Chimney base, with flash [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - S.E. Area
9. Detail of North wall of East Chimney base showing clay? Mortar along top [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - S.E. Area
10. Sub flooring above beams- North East section [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - N.E. Area
11. Sub flooring above beams - North central section - hall [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - N of Stair Well
12. View of basement looking West standing at base of stairs [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - N.W. Area
13. Beam tenon [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
14. Shims under beam- North central section [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - North Area
15. East Chimney base - South& west corner face [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - S.E. Area
16. Yellow ochre? Top of basement stairs [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - Basement Stair Well
17. Paint on walls top of basement [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - Basement Stair Well
18. Paint on walls top of basement, with flash [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - Basement Stair Well
FIRST FLOOR
(100 Series)
Room 103 /Kitchen /South East
1. Molding on Kitchen doorway looking West- HL ghost [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
2. Back kitchen stairs [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
3. Inside of bake oven, with flash [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
4. Inside of bake oven, with flash [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
5. Inside of bake oven, with flash [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
6. Kitchen hearth [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
Room 102 /Passageway
1. Inside of cupboard under stairs-extra riser [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
Room 101 /Dining Room /North East
1. Dining room- molding on cupboard and passageway [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
2. Dining Room-Window [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
3. Dining Room- baseboard [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
Room 108 /Back Sitting Room (Study) /South West
1. Back Parlour- South side- Corner Post [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
In the corner of this room is an apparent exposed corner post. It has a beaded edge, board sheathing. Similar boxed features, but generally without a beaded edge, appear in other rooms. In the front parlour one corner of a room lacks this feature, while in the hallway, two flank the front doorway. The question arises whether behind all, some, or none of the boxed features actually exists a corner or intermediate post.
Exposed interior corner posts were a colonial feature of some buildings: For example, in Massachusetts (Martin House Farm (1715), Swansea), in Maryland ("Anderton's Desire" (c. 1783 or earlier), East New Market, Dorchester County), or in Nova Scotia, (The Koch-Solomon House (mid-1700s), Lunenburg). Interior corner posts likewise appear in post-colonial constructions, such as the 1820's addition to the Zachariah “Zack” Talley House (Sumner County, Tennessee).
Exposed corner posts also appeared in transitional timber framing that found its way, for example, between 1780 and 1850, into Vermont. Here builders wished to replace the traditional larger intermediate posts between the corner posts with smaller posts, like dimensional 2 x 4's. Naturally, if the smaller posts lined up with the exterior face of the corner posts, they would not line up with the interior face.
If a builder then finished off his interior walls between, rather than against, the corner posts, these posts might remain exposed. The builder perhaps then added a decorative bead for example, or not. Otherwise, he might box them with boards, with or without a decorative finish.
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3. Back Parlour - Chair rail and door frame [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
Room 110 /Front (Main) Hall /North
1. Hallway door [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
2. Front Stairs [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
3. Front stairs wall beam [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
Bedroom (Children's) /Room 206 /South West
1. Window boards [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
Main Bedroom (Patriquin) /Room 207 /North West
1. Fireplace [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
Centre Hall (Upstairs) /Room /205 South
1. Floorboards to front room [Photo by Bonnie Elliott]
ATTIC
(300 Series)
1. East side Chimney [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - S.E. Area
2. Bevelled Boards, East side [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] - East
Found beneath the clapboards, high up in the two gable ends of the house, was a sheathing of bevelled boards. Reminiscent of those used at the Fortress of Louisbourg (1713-1758), on Cape Breton Island (Isle Royalle) beginning c. 1730, they were a rare application up and down the east coast of English North America during the immediate and postcolonial period. For example, besides French Louisbourg, there was the English Pierce House (built c. 1683 with a c.1765 application of bevelled boards).
Note: To examine the following two sites, please bookmark this Randall House page first so that you may easily return to it:
- Fortress of Louisbourg Details (Another site)
- Pierce House (Another page on this site)
3
4. Finished room wall [Photo by Bonnie Elliott] -Room 303
5. Bevelled Boards [Photo by Lynda Krause]
6. Bevelled Boards [Photo by Lynda Krause]
7. Bevelled Boards [Photo by Lynda Krause]
8. Bevelled Boards [Photo by Lynda Krause] - East
FURTHER HISTORICAL RESEARCH
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