The main portion of the structure was serviced by a central stone chimney measuring eight feet square at the base, with a six foot by five and one half foot opening fireplace in each structure. The larger portion of the house was twenty feet by twenty six feet and standing a full two stories high originally contained five rooms. The other half of the building containing a kitchen with a loft above, was approximately twenty feet by sixteen feet. The distance to the top of the chimney was 28 feet.
Amos Hawkins paid particular attentions to the details of construction and interior finishing. He chose very substantial poplar logs for the basic construction, selecting them for uniformity in size. The top log in each gable end extended beyond the lower logs, thus accommodating a wider top sill log. This provided an unusually wide overhang, front and back, for a log structure. Special attention was paid to the finishing of the extended logs in the horse shoe cleat effect and the beveling of the exterior of the top sill log. Walnut boards, because of their durability, were chosen for the exterior door and window facings. Both half dovetail and full dovetail were used in the log notchings.
The builder of this structure, being a master craftsman, finished the interior to a fine detail. The interior walls were made of random width poplar boards with a single groove, or beading, on the surface. The downstairs being divided into three rooms and the upstairs into two. The floor beams between the first and second floor being jack planed finished, with a very deep beading on the lower edges, added an air of refinement. The building remained in the original condition unaltered until shortly after the turn of the twentieth century at which time the downstairs rooms were lathed and plastered, and the fireplace in the main part of the house covered over.
At a later date the original kitchen portion was converted to a farm work shop. As time passed the main part of the house, no longer being used as a residence, was used as a granary with only minor alterations to the interior.
In the late 1950's or 60's the kitchen area, fallen into a state of deterioration and disrepair, was dismantled and removed, thus leaving the kitchen fireplace with its original crane intact.
In November of 1974 the larger part of this building, including the stone chimney and fireplace, was dismantled and moved to its current location in the Village. The building was re-erected using stone from its original foundation.
The smaller portion, by James, Amos' brother, was donated to the Village in 1977 by Mr. Charles Stanley, who had it in storage. It has been used here as the second part of the saddlebag house, replacing the original second half, which had deteriorated and been removed as noted previously. |
