Category Archive: Akin House

The image above is an artifact found in the Akin House during its restoration. This 18th century two-tined fork is an iconic example of domestic life within the confines of this modest farmhouse, perhaps warmed by a fire blazing on a cold winter’s night.  One can just imagine an Akin family member spearing a piece of roasted meat with that fork, discussing the events of the day, surrounded by family.

What were the topics of conversation during meal-times? The birth of a child? The death of a loved one? A marriage? Farming activities? The Akin family enterprises on the harbor? Taxes imposed by the Crown? Local politics? Dartmouth Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends? Not much different than today’s kitchen table banter––from the significant, stressful to the ordinary.

It’s impossible to discuss the domestic side of the Akin family without mentioning their status as entrepreneurs, maritime traders, and presumably loyal British subjects.  At the time the Akin House was built in 1762 by Job Mosher (b. 1737-d. before 1804) for his new wife, Amie Akin Mosher (1738-1804), the nearby village on the coastline was anything but dull.

[Amie Mosher was the daughter of James Akin (1706-1804) and Amie Fish Akin (1705-1746) and Elihu Akin’s (1720-1794) niece.  James and Elihu Akin were business partners, keeping it in the family.]

Let’s put into context the evolving societal norms and the political upheaval of the times by examining life in mid-18th century Dartmouth up to the early 1800s through the lens of the Akin family, Quakers and slave-owners. It is not known to what extent they owned slaves but the old records indicate they did.

The Fugitive’s Gibraltar, Escaping Slaves and Abolitionism in New Bedford, Massachusetts by Kathryn Grover, [2001; LC 00-048878; ISBN 1-55849-271-2], stands out as one of the most significant treatises of New Bedford history. Cover to cover, it is a page-turner.  Once read all the way through, it becomes an invaluable reference. While the Akins do not feature prominently in her book, the reference to the Dartmouth Akins as slave-holders among other colonists such as the Russells and the Howlands is well-documented.

Kathryn Grover writes in Chapter 2, entitled Origins:

“… In that year [1754], 174 nonwhite persons lived in Dartmouth, Westport, and New Bedford. By 1800 the number of people of color in these towns was 405, an increase of 132 percent that brought their share of the population to 4.3 percent. These towns contained good farmland, but the growth in the economy was almost entirely due to maritime trade and whaling.  The  increase in the population of color is surely related to that maritime economy.”

Unquestionably, the Akins figure into this history given their vast holdings and prominence in what is now known as Padanaram Harbor, then referred to as Akins’ Wharf or Akins’ Landing, a measure of their influence and prominent role in the maritime economy.

Ms. Grover goes on, “[William] Wall identified the man of color in Birth of the Whaling Industry as having, like Venture Smith, come from Guinea, and he suggested a series of names typical among New England slaves and black servants––Pero, Quash, Pompey.  Whether Wall knew it or not, Joseph Russell in fact owned slaves named Quash and Pero at the time; they were probably among the thirty-seven males of color living in Dartmouth in 1765. Russell, born in Dartmouth, was accepted into the Dartmouth Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends in April 1766, though he may have ‘followed the Meeting’––attended its services and observed its customs of dress and address––before being formally admitted as a member. Six years after his acceptance, however, the meeting disciplined him and Isaac Howland II, also a slave owner, for ‘running goods,’ presumably military, intoxicating, or illegally acquired ones.  Isaac Howland had run afoul of the meeting often in the past. In 1764 the meeting sent members to visit him both for marrying a non-Quaker and for being ‘in the practice of the slave trade,’ and it found the paper he submitted ‘signifying the sorrow’ for both offenses insufficiently apologetic until September 1765. Three months later the meeting permitted Howland to move to Rhode Island, where he learned spermaceti manufacture, and he then returned to New Bedford.  Only a month after he and Russell were reported for running goods, the meeting declared both, with Rebecca Slocum, ‘offenders…by their keeping their Negroes in bondage when they are fit for freedom after they have been repeatedly admonished to comply with ye order of friends.’  By January 1774 Russell still refused to accede to the meeting’s wishes, but by September the visiting committee finally persuaded him to free his two ‘negro men,’ Quash and Pero.  In April of the same year Isaac Howland freed his slave Pero.  Howland has long been reputed to have been the last person in Dartmouth to free a slave when he manumitted Primus in January 1777, but John Akin still owned an Indian named Hazzard, whom he freed the next month. …[footnote 13]”

“13. On the transactions of the Dartmouth Monthly Meeting with respect to Friends who owned slaves, see DMM, 7 mo 1772; 1, 4, 9, and 11 mo 1774, and 1 and 2 mo 1777, the last of which is a record of manumission of John Akin’s Indian slave Hazzard.”

John Akin (1745-1801) was Elihu Akin’s son (1720-1794) by his first wife Ruth Perry Akin (1729-1790).  In her book, Ms. Grover does not mention by name the other Akins as slave-holders and whether or not the Akins apart from John were Quakers in good standing. Therefore, it is not known if they had already acceded to the meeting’s wishes to free their slaves by that time.

The fact that Ms. Grover references John Akin briefly in the above excerpt and in the accompanying citation from her notes of Chapter 2, Origins implies or corroborates that the Akins were no different from the other colonists who were slave-holders for a time. During those times, Quaker religious beliefs by the many enlightened persuaded some of their less ardent “members” to free their slaves in the Dartmouth community well before the rest of America.

The British Invasion

About 19 months after John Akin freed Hazzard, all hell would break loose for the Akins.

The Akins, who had switched loyalties from the Crown to embrace the American cause for independence––arguably driven by the economics of entrepreneurship and free trade principles––wasted little time eradicating Loyalists by running them out of their little harbor side community.

In September of 1778, soon after attacking Bedford Village [later known as New Bedford], the British were led to Akins’ Wharf  [now Padanaram] by these Tories in what was surely an act revenge by Tupper & company.

Quite a bit is known about the role of the Akins and other founders during the War of Independence when the Akin men joined the Sons of Liberty. The History of New Bedford and Its Vicinity (1602-1892) by Leonard Bolles Ellis, published in 1892, is an invaluable resource.

We set aside the Revolution for the moment, to reflect on the role of the Akins and the conflicts arising from slave ownership contemporaneous to the period when our 1762 Akin House was built and during the ill-fated British invasion.

Revolution 250

In the near future, this website will contain narratives about the Akins and the Revolution as we approach the 250th Anniversary in 2026. The Akin House is a “witness house” to the activities leading up to and including 1776.  DHPT, as a sponsor, plans to host events to celebrate this important milestone in our nation’s history.

For now, visit the Massachusetts Historical Society’s website highlighting living history events, Revolution 250.

The above image of the formal parlor provides an example of the application of four historic treatments explained below.

The original pine wall boards installed perhaps just a few years after the house was built to add some Georgian formality to the room were reinstalled to surround the simple mantel over the fireplace and hearth, both Greek Revival.  Electrified brass double light sconces recently hand-forged in a colonial design serve as ornamentation and sources of light. To the left, a doorway to the foyer in the Federal style. The corner beam is new construction and painted in whitewash.

Let’s take a moment to step back from the nitty gritty details of the work in progress at the Akin House to examine preservation philosophy and how well we are doing.

Each preservation project has its own unique characteristics given its historic significance of time, place and context(s), cultural value to community, architectural period(s), original elements, later features, repairs and changes over the life of the building.

Ultimately, the goal is to assure the longevity of our historic assets from a point in our times at which it was found or acquired to be saved. The Akin House, as noted in these pages, was one house that was viewed by many as not worth saving. That was then, some 15 years ago.  This is now. Let’s revisit preservation philosophy and approach to our house in particular.

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties and our Treatment of the Akin House

We referenced the Secretary’s Standards in a blog in November 2017 (see archives). To review, essentially there are four treatment approaches:

Preservation, Rehabilitation, Restoration, and Reconstruction.

Preservation places a high premium on the retention of all historic fabric through conservation, maintenance and repair. It reflects continuum over time, through successive occupancies, and the respectful changes and alterations that are made.

Rehabilitation emphasizes the retention and repair of historic materials, but more latitude is provided for replacement because it is assumed the property is more deteriorated prior to work. (Both Preservation and Rehabilitation standards focus attention on the preservation of those materials, features, finishes, spaces, and spatial relationships that, together, give a property its historic character.)

Restoration, focuses on the retention of materials from the most significant time in a property’s history, while permitting the removal of materials from other periods.

Reconstruction establishes limited opportunities to re-create a non-surviving site, landscape, building, structure, or object in all new materials.

To be practical about it, what lies beneath the visible fabric will often dictate approach. Many times it’s just rot and more devastation. So many who contemplate such projects ask themselves, is it time to cut our losses and walk away especially as funds appear to be elusive. Other times, as in our case, unexpected but remarkable features from many periods–– pre-Georgian, Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival––emerge, and drive us onward.

How does one make the right decisions in choosing and applying one (or more) of these four treatments?  This “little house with a big story to tell” informed our approach. It proved impossible to simply choose one of these treatments or a specific period in its life. The Akin House is simply not that kind of house.

We didn’t have enough sufficiently viable or extant original materials to conserve the whole house in its entirety applying Preservation methods alone or by choosing a specific period to preserve, Restoration, so as to reveal that one period, such as the pre-Georgian style when first built.

This may offend some purists, but our philosophy required pragmatism. Indeed, we incorporated all treatments, selectively applying each where appropriate to ensure that this house survived for a few more centuries. In its future, maintenance will be key.

Unquestionably, the Akin House’s historic significance to the Town of Dartmouth, other considerations factored into our approach.

Physical condition: If not for a few who saw the potential to save this house, most would have pronounced it ready for the wrecking ball. Photographs of 2003 testify to that case.

Proposed use: As a “study house” and education facility for living history programming, the Akin House has been transformed from a private residence to a public space. This transition is less “new use” and more adaptive to telling the story of its inhabitants. After all, it started out its life as a domicile built by British citizens under the rule of the Crown. What came next is the stuff of turmoil, rebellion and insurrection––the Revolutionary War.

Mandated code requirements: Decisions were made for safety and to accommodate the needs of modern visitors without compromising much of the house’s historic integrity. For a thriving community facility, the house needed to be electrified. (A small example of the old knob and tube electrical wiring remains for display purposes.) We installed a split unit to provide heat and AC for the comfort of visitors during occasions when the house’s inner climate can be oppressive or bone chilling. The functional cooking hearth in the keeping room has been rebuilt according to modern safety codes for 18th century cookery demonstrations. A new deck was built at the rear entrance to provide universal access through an automated lift. A walkway has been constructed for visitors leading from a couple of restricted parking spaces to the deck.

The above image of the rear entryway to the Akin House represents the final stages of the exterior work. An ADA-compliant lift will be installed for wheelchair access to the house which may also be used by visitors with walkers and canes.

The enemy to saving historic houses are its conditions of wear and tear, or worse, serious damage or deterioration––obstacles that can discourage many from embarking on a preservation (ad)venture. Not so with DHPT.

A Review of Second Quarter Accomplishments

This report provides a summary of the Akin House project for the Second Quarter 2018. Our Preservation Philosophy is in evidence––part preservation, part rehabilitation, and part restoration––come to life––all conducted with guidance by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. 

Download (PDF, 5.99MB)

[Phase III began in August 2017. Prior blogs found in our archives offered detailed updates of our work in progress complete with a photo commentary of various stages and aspects of the work.]

It’s important to see where we started to appreciate how far we’ve come.

Since our second quarter report, the work has continued. We are pleased to report that we will complete Phase III by early September.

Look for a report of the final stages of work in a September blog. Thereafter, we will be scheduling house tours.

“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.

Let’s get to the heavy lifting.

Structural Systems

Guided by the Department of Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, we identified and tried to retain and preserve “structural systems and visible features of systems that are important in defining the overall character of the building.”

Sound structural systems are essential to an old house to ensure its longevity and viability going forward. Due to considerable structural deficiencies such as failing beams and posts, affected by age and insect/rodent infestation, hidden behind walls and other coverings until now, the requirements for future structural integrity to prolong the life of this house for another 250 years took priority.  Time also took its toll on other repairs (visible and hidden) from the restoration phases during 2005 and 2009. Temporary fixes such as steel posts to support the building in compromised weight-bearing areas were removed and replaced with traditional post and beam construction.

Employing a Careful, Surgical Removal

The entire house was stripped of its 20^th century additions and repairs. Damaged plaster walls and laths were removed from the first floor. Plaster samples saved. Plaster removed with laths remaining on the second floor for the time being. Homasote-type highly flammable cellulose based fiber wallboards originating in the early 20^th century also removed and discarded.

Fragments of wallpaper and other artifacts were carefully removed and saved for future display. The best examples of white washed wallboards will remain.

[A record of wallpaper fragments can be found in Blog entries in August and September 2017.]

Newly Installed White Oak Posts, Beams, and Joists

White oak joists had been added during 2005 with a steel column installed in 2009 to keep the house stable and secure, an ongoing challenge, until a permanent solution was implemented in 2017. New white oak posts and beams were installed in October.

As shown through above images, any architectural features original (or close to original) to the house have been retained when not damaged to the point of non-viability, i.e., sponginess to the touch or with a knife poke, or worse, deteriorating close to a dust-like consistency. A few original corner posts deemed strong and viable have remained. Some of the original joists were kept in place. While no longer serving any stabilizing function, these artifacts speak to the house’s original building characteristics.

Restoration work performed by Thomas J. Figueiredo Carpentry & Builders, assisted by John Taber.

Please check future blogs for more on this series.

This series begins with a ca. 1930s image by local photographer Manuel Goulart. Situated on the corner of Dartmouth and Rockland Streets, the 1762 Akin House was a fascinating subject for this photographer. This little house with a big story to tell, a phrase coined by the late Anne W. “Pete” Baker, still has much to teach us.  Sometimes we must reflect on where we started to appreciate how far we’ve come.

The Cape Cod Style––A little background of early houses

Rare is the opportunity to preserve and restore New England 17th century houses although photographs of those old homesteads abound with the disclaimer that this one or that one was demolished and relegated to a landfill years ago. Architectural and research historians continue to invoke their special natures and places in history and we continue to learn from those early building styles, materials, tools and techniques imported from the old world.

In his 1990 seminal book, Antique Houses, Their Construction and Restoration, Edward P. Friedland who has studied 17th century structures and restored 18th century houses in Connecticut, writes about the still beloved Cape Cod style houses. “The one-and-a-half story house (the so-called Cape or Cape Cod) has been much neglected in the literature on early hours, yet the Cape was probably the most frequently used house plan in New England. Capes by the hundreds still dot the New England landscape, and the basic form is still being constructed today.  Don’t let these little house fool you; what they lacked in size was often made up for by a quantity of fine interior woodwork.”

Our Georgian era house [1750-1800] was built in the 3/4 one-and-a-half story Cape Cod style.

Recent Preservation and Restoration Work [August 2017- present]

We are fortunate that many 18th century houses remain although few with their original construction, features and finishes––in other words, saved by mostly private homeowners but with modern amenities. Those of us who care about historic preservation do what we can to preserve and restore as much of the original and early modifications as we can. To honor its architectural origins and style, an old house restoration often requires merging the old with the new. But, it must must be done carefully and faithfully.

The status of this property as town-owned property under our stewardship has enabled us to perform preservation and restoration work unencumbered by the need for modern amenities other than electricity.

Our project required sticking with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.  Our contractor, Thomas J. Figueiredo, of nearby Marion, applied construction and repair techniques that comply with methods used when our house was built.  He was careful and meticulous to save as much of the original materials as possible while intent on keeping our house safe and erect for another 250 years. To do otherwise could have resulted in structural system failures and instability, requiring more structural repairs down the road.

Anyone can identify obvious deficiencies in a structure but without an invasive examination of a structure by a trained restoration carpenter what lurks within can be overlooked. The removal of wall panels and trim boards, lath & plaster and modern wallpapers revealed some great discoveries but also damaged and deteriorated beams, posts and joists, rotted and insect-ridden timbers.

The Figueiredo experience and craftsmanship, keen eye, attention to detail, and high standards have meant the difference between cosmetic work with superficial repairs and the desired end-result of a valuable cultural resource that will last for many more generations.

This series as aforementioned will cover in narrative and photographs the work performed by Tom Figueiredo which began in August 2017 and continues into 2018.

Please look for subsequent parts of this series, coming soon, and also visit Tom’s newly updated website.

The featured image above is the “original” fireplace and cooking hearth with beehive oven in the great room/kitchen/gathering place of the Akin House.

This restoration was completed in January 2018 on the footprint of the original. We made an educated assumption that a granite lintel would have capped the fireplace at that time, a typical feature of the 18th century.  This one is not original to our house but a perfect companion to the reused bricks that make up the facade and firebox. The beehive oven was repaired to be functional along with the fireplace itself. With the exception of minor repairs, the beehive opening was not disturbed and shows evidence of 18th century life and much use.

Center Chimneys and the Cape Cod House Style

Central to the architectural style of our 18th century “Cape Cod” one and a half story house is the center chimney. The Capes, small in size and made of simple post-and-beam but robust construction, predominated the New England landscape and is still favored today as a beloved house design.  In comparison to the magnificent Georgian mansions of the same period, the modest cape lacked the elaborate finishes and flourishes––signs of wealth and prosperity––but a large center chimney with fireplaces in surrounding rooms were common features of the cape and the mansions of the period. Over the years, the inhabitants of the small 18th century capes would have added enhancements and decorative features commensurate with their means and fortunes.

At the dawn of the 21st century when our house was saved to be preserved and protected, very few such homes were extant in this area.

A Short Digression into History with a Taste of Irony

Elihu Akin (1720-1794) and his brothers enjoyed prosperity and influence in old Dartmouth, their material wealth exemplified by great houses, a tavern, and a profitable shipbuilding & privateering business in Padanaram Village (Harbor), then known as Akin’s Wharf or Akin’s Landing.

The Akins’ fortunes changed drastically when the British guided by Loyalists seeking revenge against the Akins for being expelled from the area essentially destroyed all of their holdings during the raid of September 1778.

It is no small irony that Elihu Akin and his family were forced to seek refuge and safety on Potter’s Hill to his second house and farm, our Akin House. We can only speculate whether Elihu Akin had money stashed away when he relocated to his farmhouse with 18 acres, purchased as an investment in 1769. Being a shrewd businessman and politician, he may have read the handwriting on the wall and put some coins aside. We do know that he spent his final days in our little house. Was he a broken man? He lived to see the outcome of the War of Independence, after all.

Back to the Restoration Work

During the month of January, the main event at the Akin House was the preservation and restoration work of the center chimney, chimney stacks and fireplaces gracing three rooms on the first floor.  Combined with the necessary restoration work, we discovered that major repairs were required to ensure the longevity of this grand brick and fieldstone structure.

Brick by brick, Paul Choquette Historical Masonry Restoration Artisans of Mattapoisett completed the careful and painstaking work required to resurrect the 18th century cooking hearth exposing and repairing the original beehive oven.  The ghosts at the Akin House and DHPT are quite pleased with the results.

The All-Important Center Chimney Work

To state the obvious, without a strong foundation––which we have in our cellar’s fieldstone foundation–– and an equally strong chimney spanning to the second story all the way to the exterior of our house, the Akin House as Hearth and Home can never be sustained.

This is our last blog for 2017.  And what a year it was!

Preserving Dartmouth’s Heritage from the Foundation Up

Our mission statement is never truer than the work we are now engaged in to preserve, protect and restore the center chimney and all the complex piece parts which make up a whole unified structure.  How many 18th century houses have been examined so carefully in order to study and educate? If still extant, most were restored up to a point and renovated, perhaps only one fireplace and hearth brought back to original or “modernized.” The old materials simply discarded or taken off site to be reused elsewhere. Not so with the Akin House. We believe in reuse whenever possible; and nothing of value, like bricks and stones, leave the site. Like our forbears, we waste nothing.

The massive chimney foundation is strong and steadfast, supporting the center chimney stacks which connect to the three fireplaces, serving three rooms.  We see flat granite stones intermingled with brick and wonder why. Fieldstone was plentiful in old Dartmouth but bricks were cheap.

The cellar is nothing but fieldstone. Above ground, that’s another story.

The work in progress to restore the center chimney, as 2018 fast approaches.

Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy “ride.” How can such a little house have such a massive center chimney? Before any masonry restoration and repairs can be done, the massive chimney showing through on the first and second floors needed to be shored up. Incredibly hard work and dangerous when safety is paramount. How many 18th century houses are extant with the bare bones of brick and granite gracing the interior? Most were destroyed or renovated with little trace of the most significant features of these early houses. This Dartmouth treasure, a rare cultural resource, becomes more important to this community as “this little house with a big story to tell” bares its soul.

Paul Choquette & Co. Historic Masons & Artisans were responsible for the Akin House foundation work in 2009, shown above. In 2017, in partnership with our contractor, Tom Figueiredo, they are back to work on the center chimney configuration from the first floor up.

There are no better historic preservation masons in Massachusetts or anywhere else than Paul Choquette and his team.

The first order of business was to shore up the chimney structures. The first floor required a combination of a steel post along with 8 X 8 timbers to keep the fireboxes and chimney stacks from collapsing under the tremendous weight bearing down from the large chimney on the second floor reuniting the smoke chambers.

On the first and second stories, grueling and laborious grinding was required to loosen the old mortar to loosen the brick and granite for the next steps of restoration. With the first floor structure shored up, the next step involved strapping the chimney, shown below, with the surface mortar removed. A messy job indeed!

Another Akin House curiosity. What was the thought behind adding large granite pieces along with bricks? Granite can be found intermingled with bricks throughout the chimney stacks as well. Over time the granite weakened the structure, much like Portland Cement used in the 20th century destabilized brick structures.  This is another research topic for us.

Below photos: An appropriate use of granite as a lintel above this early fireplace in the formal parlor. Note the whitewashed chimney stack above this fireplace. Was it exposed at one time? Stay tuned for photos after restoration without the unsightly red paint no doubt applied for cosmetic reasons in the 20th century, hiding a vast multitude of sins. A quick fix in 2009 required some repairs such as the cement applied on either side of the firebox.

Thus ends this blog with an image of the dust from the old mortar collected in these buckets.