“A fresh look at upcountry S.C. early housing….”
Being invited to private homes tucked away in the wilds of South Carolina is one of my favorite outings. Recently I went to view the historic Montgomery home near Blackstock, South Carolina. Historically, a cultured area of prosperous farms, today the area is little more than pine trees and hunting cabins which cover the landscape.
Before coming to the old home I was asked to visit a gentleman by the name of Dave Drennan. At ninety plus years of age, he retains a bright mind and enthusiasm for visitors. His knowledge of the community was outstanding and he was animated when sharing his fond memories. He verified several facts of which I needed clarification and I am indeed indebted for his contributions.
The main focus of our trip was to visit the Brown-Montgomery log cabin. Approaching the cabin was exciting as we traveled on a one lane dirt road some half mile. My guide and host, Mr. Montgomery, a descendant, who kept suggesting we also visit “Dark Corner” which I felt I was in the midst of currently doing. Once we turned off the main road at the crest of the hill, sat the heavily remodeled and distressed cabin. Undoubtedly the house needs major restoration but it remains a distinct piece of 18th century architecture of which few remain. The cabin was acquired by the Montgomery family in the early 19th century when some minor changes appear to have been made including the addition of an interior board petition, siding, as well as most likely a large front porch featuring rails and nice proportions. The interior offered significant clues to how the family lived and how the home was constructed. The original board and batten doors, corner staircase, hewn timbers, board walls, thumbnail latches, and wide board floors were all in evidence. Evidence also abounds of abundant usage of the loft area where the railings have been removed and the wide flooring remains. The floor is soaked by fat and salt from meats that have been stored in the attic and hung from the rafters annually for decades. It would be wonderful to clean out the space which might provide additional construction details.
Besides the physical presence of the dwelling itself, the landscape offered numerous details as to how the family had lived at this location. A well had been dug and lined with rock and until recently provided the occupants water. And a large grove of Osage Orange trees (click on the History Thread for additional information), reported to be one of the largest in the region had been planted near to the house. The wood from these trees was useful for constructing fence posts as well as plow handles and staves. I have rarely seen such intact features and it is a historic site worth further research. For example, board and batten doors are common but those constructed with the use of a dovetailed wedge as the batten are highly unusual. I have found a number of such doors in the Piedmont section of South Carolina. The technology used to construct the doors offers significant improvements to those doors which are simply nailed together. Who made these doors or were there many artisans constructing them at the time that have not yet been documented?
So, share your log cabin stories, those about Osage Orange trees, and if you too have witnessed the use of dovetail battens on doors.
A R&R NOTE: How exciting to see so many new members joining daily! At this rate, there may be well over a 600 new members by the end of the summer. Due to the interest in R&R, it has come to our attention that it is also a prudent time to begin planning for the future. So R&R will be send you a short list of questions for you to ponder over and respond to. You should receive the list early next week. Take a minute of your busy schedule and let us hear your complaints, thoughts, ideas, and desires for an expanded Roots and Recall website. We really want to hear from hundreds of you and know why your like to website and what you think it can do better, as well as, what you might like to see it offer in the future.
Thank you for allowing Roots and Recall to capture a few minutes of your week!
From the Porch – Blog @ RootsandRecall.com – 6.8.17