Wattle and Daub Bergen County, N.J. 18th century In the age of fireplace heating before the cast iron stove, heating a house was laborious and inefficient. Shutters were closed again the cold, walls were made of brick or stone, or filled with brick or wattle and daub (clay and straw). The latter filling, as here, impeded the penetration of cold winds while providing a surface for interior finish - whitewash. Water soluble, dirty walls were "cleaned" by applying another layer of cheap whitewash, as many as 20 layers found in some houses. |
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12 Miles to Hoboken on the Bergen Turnpike to Hackensack, is incised on this brownstone mile marker, reminding us of Benjamin Franklin's many initiatives including efficient postal delivery by marking the post roads. In this century it was Franklin Roosevelt who sought to preserve these markers in New York. It was he, enthusiastic about Dutch history, who also supported the publication of and then wrote the introductions to two books on Dutch houses. |
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Bergen Turnpike Mile Marker |
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Rye, a staple grain, growing at Philips Manor |
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Hudson Valley Kas | |||||||||
The
Hendrick Lott House Brooklyn (Kings Co.) N.Y. 1800 Vestiges of
Dutch culture are hard to find along the streets of New York.
Peeling paint on a shutter hinge perfectly reflects what has
happened to the Lott house in one century. Not long ago it was
a cherished home on a residential street. Recently it barely
survived a townhouse development, rescued by timely neighborhood
action to become a house museum. Neighbors who have grown up adjacent to the past find its familiarity a personal need, giving assurance of continuity and identity in an accelerating era. New York City Parks Department, Historic House Trust |
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Closet Lott House Thread Spools |
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Text: Roderic H. Blackburn |
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All photographs © Geoffrey Gross This web site is best viewed with your monitor set to 832 X 624 hoimage.com in association with WetCeiling Productions Web master: Chester Ludlow |
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