Monthly Archives: May 2018

“A Chamfer: A sloping or angular cut to round off the corner or edge of a board or timber.” (Edward P. Friedland)

The above image is a profile of a chamfered joist, one of two joists that are original to the Akin House construction, left extant in the great room/cooking hearth room. This technique was employed in the 17th century with many examples, some plain or decorated, featured in The Framed Houses of Massachusetts Bay, 1625-1725 by Abbott Lowell Cummings, 1979. [ISBN 0-674-31680-0]

Our antique house has been dated to about 1762 as evidenced by our research, but not far-fetched to assume that house building techniques going back to earlier times might well have been used into the 18th century. One might speculate that carpenter Job Mosher could have learned this technique from old timers or “mentors” of his day. Or perhaps, Job Mosher recycled these joists from another even older house. The reuse of materials was commonplace.

The building date of a house on its site doesn’t necessarily imply that earlier construction styles and techniques weren’t used. Well advised to keep in mind that the “devil is in the details.” In this case and many other cases as we try to understand and learn from extant old houses, these details and motivations are buried with the folks who really know.

Now for the Good News

There are only two such original joists in situ along with a few remaining original beams, corner posts, collar ties/rafters. Compared with demolition by neglect, a mixture of old with new far more desirable. We coined this “pragmatic preservation.”  Better than nothing?  You bet!

Back to the Joists Sitting Happily among New Construction

Notice the scraped bottom edge of the joist. Since these timbers were imperfect or uneven, a certain amount of trimming was required to install the plaster & lath ceiling, long since removed due to severe water and other damage in the room.

Modern Whitewash as a Means to Differentiate the Old

and the New

The newly installed oak timbers to replace the damaged ones were painted with whitewash in April, 2018. This effectively shows the original construction work against the new. We opted for whitewash because its use was prevalent in early houses and no one will mistake this finish as historic. Some evidence of early whitewashing can be seen on these original joists.

The Akin House as a “Study House”

In a Building History of Northern New England (2001, ISBN-13: 978-1-584-65-099-7) which applies to all New England houses, James L. Garvin writes on page 10.

“The principal framing members of seventeenth-century houses––the posts, girts, and summer beams––were usually planed (or more roughly smoothed with an adze) after hewing. They were frequently decorated with molded chamfers on their exposed corners or arrises.  These members were intended to be exposed to view.

“After 1700, with few exceptions, the framing members in dwellings were intended to be covered, either by wall or ceiling plaster or by casings of planed one-inch boards. It is almost always a mistake to strip away such a covering and expose any part of the skeleton of an eighteenth- or nineteenth century house in the belief that the builder intended this.”

Tradition supports Garvin’s view. Why have we chosen to leave the ceilings and corner posts exposed? There were no viable plaster & lath ceilings or original ceiling panels left to show, never mind preserve or restore. By 2008, the walls not much better.

Akin House as Study House

Our long-term goal was always to present the Akin House as a “Study House”, its severely damaged existing conditions supported a study house strategy. The new post-and-beam reconstruction co-exisiting with the original underscores a skeletal approach to show the forensics in certain interior locations of the house––yes, the house as historic artifact illustrative of the ways to save and preserve a historic asset.

An education for visitors if ever there was one, and for house stewards, preservationists and historians, interpretive opportunities galore.

The Little House with a Big Story to Tell!

A house’s construction style reveals the architectural period of origin and speaks to its time through the builder’s skill, technique and approach.

But no house stands still as if time has stopped.  Over its lifetime, a historic house will reflect various periods because its inhabitants by nature apply their personal imprint, based upon economics or need, even taste and societal norms.

If we pay close attention to detail and identify its fabric and finishes by period and viability, the house dictates the direction a preservation and restoration must take.

The photograph above shows the original footprint of the brick work of the hearth with the outline of the much reduced hearth of the rebuilt Greek Revival fireplace. In addition to the interior wall oven and granite markers/supporters on either side of the original fireplace, the exposure of both hearths served as one of the clues that reinforced the existence of a larger fireplace.  This discovery justified our plan to restore and rebuild the fireplace to its original size and scope, harkening back to the 1760s. [By the 1830s, such massive fireboxes and hearths fell out of favor. The Greek Revival style fireplace and hearth were safer and more efficient in its concentration of heat that could be better managed and controlled, thus preventing accidental fires. ]

The following images and commentary narrate the work performed at the Akin House during the first quarter of 2018.

Interior wall restoration and repairs required outside shingling on the NW elevations. New rear entry door for ADA-required access. A lift will be installed to the right with steps on the left side of the deck, with walkway leading from two parking spots to the left side of the rear of the house.

SW corner of the great room/kitchen:  The wall sheathing of original boards covered with new pine wall panels. In this view, note the original corner post & plate with one of two original chamfered joists, feature of craftsmanship pre-dating 1762. The ceiling shows the underside of the new pine floors on the second story. It is entirely possible that house carpenter Job Mosher learned the old methods of housebuilding and used them.

The center chimney, chimney stacks, the fireboxes, and fireplace restoration work took up most of January 2018.  The work in progress was just as fascinating as the finished product. The stabilization of this massive structure required tremendous shoring up to address the multiple, painstaking steps to achieve the desired results. Like the faithful post and beam reconstruction, all restoration work requires that years of expertise and experience be brought to bear. The Akin House structural work will be illustrated by education programs and didactic displays that seize upon these teachable moments to engage the public.

For the kitchen hearth to be functional, firebricks were installed to protect smoke chamber, flue, oven vent, and damper resulting in the safest working fireplace in town. The modern firebrick with restored interior works are hidden by the reinstalled original brick work facade using 18th century mortar formulations.

The aforementioned Greek Revival fireplace in deteriorating condition was removed to reveal the original rear wall oven showing soot and grease, tangible evidence of use by the early inhabitants.

Ninety percent of fireplace/firebox was reconstructed with reused English brick salvaged from the structure. These early 18th century English bricks, including the 10% brought on site and donated by Paul Choquette, were used as ballast on the journey from England to America. Today, these bricks are quite rare.

Since there was no granite slab in situ wide enough to serve as a lintel, we decided to obtain and install the above granite slab from the area to finish the installation.

Below, the granite lintels in the other two fireplaces in the Greek Revival style adopted by the inhabitants as part of house improvements, about the 1830s.

So ends Part 1 of the Preservation & Restoration Progress at the Akin House. Check back with us for Part 2. First Quarter 2018 Activity to be continued.

Construction & Carpentry Work by Tom Figueiredo, Akin House Contractor & Builder of Marion, MA.  (508) 509-3789

Masonry Work by Paul Choquette & Co., Historic Masons & Artisans, Mattapoisett, MA.
(508) 758-9448

The featured image above is captioned “Akin Place, S. Dart. Photo by Henry Willis of New Bedford,” donated to the Dartmouth Historical Commission by David Santos.  We believe it’s Henry P. Willis (1853-1927). Research in the works to determine approximate date this photo was taken.  Other than the 1905 photo by Fred Palmer, this is the earliest we’ve seen so far. Neighborhood undeveloped and mostly farmland. In 2018, the house exterior and footprint are virtually unchanged.

These scanned photographs were found in a scrapbook kept by local artist, historian and photographer, Theodosia Chase (1875-1974). It was donated to the Dartmouth Historical Commission. Note the caption on the photo at right: Richard Canfield’s Birthplace, Padanaram. Since Canfield’s mother, Julia Akin Canfield (1820-1884)  lived in New Bedford with her husband, William Canfield (1809-1865), it’s more likely Richard Canfield (1855-1914) was born in New Bedford.  After being widowed, Julia relocated to the Akin House where she lived until her death.

[More on Akin family genealogy and family anecdotes in a future post.]

Another photograph of the Akin House from the Dartmouth Historical Commission’s collection donated by David Santos.  The caption states: J. (T.) Chase, Mrs. Rhonda Kimball Howes, related to Richard Canfield.” To the left side of the house (the north side) the barn can be seen, since demolished. Date unknown. This photograph was likely made by Theodosia Chase.

A circa 1945 Christmas Card from the Janiak family to the Weeks family in Dartmouth. Greeting cards, like this one, with an image of the family home were typical of the times. This artifact was donated to the Dartmouth Historical Commission by Mrs. Francine Weeks of Dartmouth.

By the caption with this published photo, it could have accompanied an article about Richard Canfield (1855-1914). Theodosia Chase’s photo of Miss Caroline Akin (1901-1978) in Quaker period dress was taken in the gathering room/kitchen at the Akin House and published in a newspaper, probably New Bedford’s Evening Standard, in March 1927.

According to Helen Akin Klimowicz, Caroline (Carolyn) Akin was the daughter of Charles G. Akin (1870-1953) and Caroline Swain Kelley (1876-1950). Remembered fondly by Mrs. Klimowicz, “Aunt Car” is the sister to her father Charles G. Akin Jr.’s (1900-1983.) Caroline married John Frederick Wareing (1902-1987) on August 15, 1938 and in their senior years owned a house on High Street, not far from the Akin Cemetery and the Akin House. They enjoyed sailing in their small boat named The Green Duck. Caroline Akin Wareing was proud of her Quaker heritage thanks to the influence of her maiden aunt Helen Akin (1834-1927).

Akin Family History Credits

It bears repeating that historian Henry B. Worth (1858-1923) wrote extensively about local history, Padanaram Village and the Akin Family. See archives on our website and visit the New Bedford Whaling Museum. 

Peggi Medeiros, DHPT board member, local researcher, historian and author [New Bedford Mansions] has dug deeply into Akin family history, finding important nuggets that few others come across.  Also check the archives on this website for her Akin Family narratives. Peggi continues her research on the Akins, uncovering new information all the time. Peggi writes a bi-weekly column about area history for the Standard-Times called “Mansions, Mansards and Mills.”

Thanks to the Akin Family descendants for their invaluable help in developing this blog.  Without reliable and source-based information through access to the David Akin Family Tree (built by Robert Larry Akin), we could not tell the story of the lives of the Akin ancestors. Equally valuable is the anecdotal information [and artifacts handed down] provided by Larry’s cousins, Helen Akin Klimowicz, Katie Simenson, and Judith Akin Smith.

The story of the Akin House with its extensive family history about its inhabitants is rare among historic houses in the area.  With a wealth of information at our disposal, we have been able to fill gaps in history, especially the lives of the Akins in Dartmouth during the late 19th and early 20th centuries because of the Akin descendants.