[MassHistPres] slate roof on a cape

[james hadley]

As chair of the Historical Commission in Orleans, I have not seen a Cape Cod house with a slate roof. Think of houses here as an outgrowth of boatbuilding, with wood used and sealed as it would be in boats. Wood shingles were the material of choice for exteriors. They still are used, although now on roofs they are nailed onto sheathing with a breather material below them instead of on the spaced wood lath as originally installed.
The book - The Cape Cod Cottage by William Morgan, (Princeton Architectural Press, NY, 2006) is a source for photos of old Cape Cod houses and plans. Amazon has it. You should also contact Historic New England: www.historicnewengland.org .
James W. Hadley, AIA
Orleans, MA 


From: hhsdir at verizon.net
To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:47:30 -0400
Subject: [MassHistPres] slate roof on a cape
















A
colleague writes: 





“I'm
having a devil of a time finding the right roof for this 1780 Cape and trouble
with research. Was slate ever used, or is the Cape so modest that it would not
have been used?”



I’d be grateful for wisdom from the experts in the list serve, or perhaps
a reference book or article that might be helpful.

 

Thanks.

 

Suzanne Buchanan

Hingham Historical Society

P.O. Box 434 Hingham, MA 02043

781-749-7721

www.hinghamhistorical.org

 

 		 	   		  
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