[MassHistPres] 17th C and 18th Center chimneys

[Ellen St. Sure]

Can't help with your mystery cellar-crib, but I would be interested  
to know more about back-of-the-fireplace ovens.  If, as I'm told,  
they were not built after c. 1740, wouldn't they be a useful tool for  
firmly dating Early Period houses?
On Nov 11, 2008, at 3:05 PM, Diane Gilbert wrote:

> Has anyone ever encountered a crib-like foundation built adjacent to a
> center chimney of a 17th C or 18th C cape style house?  We assume  
> this was
> commonplace but so far no one knows.
>
> The 1762 Elihu Akin House in Dartmouth has extensive and impressive  
> stone
> foundations which include a formidable center chimney. Adjacent to the
> center chimney is another foundation about 2 1/2 feet high next to [or
> attached to] the center chimney.  This structure revealed itself  
> after we
> cleaned out the cellar more thoroughly to get ready for foundation  
> repairs.
> This additional foundation spans the several feet to make it flush  
> to the
> wall foundation on the cellar’s south side end of the house.   
> What’s more,
> it is filled with rubble stone, field stone and dressed granite of  
> various
> sizes.  In between the stone layers we’ve exposed is some sort of  
> vegetation
> or plant material that appears to serve as insulation, for what, we  
> don’t
> know yet.  The same plant material has been filled randomly into  
> the center
> chimney spaces where there is no mortar on that side.  It’s well built
> because no stones appear to have fallen out, unlike some areas of the
> mortared wall foundation. Unfortunately there appears to be a  
> dearth of
> documentation about the cellars of early houses available.
>
> We would love to hear from people who have encountered something  
> similar or
> might know leads to reference material on the subject.  So far, no  
> buried
> treasure has been discovered.  Perhaps one of its purposes was to  
> serve as a
> “root cellar” or other storage space, even a hiding place for rum  
> runners’
> cache.  So far, no bottles found.
>
> We appreciate anyone writing in to help us solve this mystery.  I have
> photos which I am happy to share with people who contact me outside  
> of the
> listserv since attachments are against the rules.
>
> Thanks in advance!
>
> Diane Gilbert
> Dartmouth Heritage Preservation Trust, Inc.
>
>
>
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