Saltbox house
Asaltbox houseis agable-roofed residential structure that is typically twostoriesin the front and one in the rear. It is a traditionalNew Englandstyle of home, originallytimber framed,which takes its name from its resemblance to a wooden lidded box in which salt was once kept.
The structure's unequal sides and long, low rearrooflineare its most distinctive features. A flat front and centralchimneyare also recognizable traits.
Origins[edit]
The saltbox is an example ofAmerican colonial architecture,although it probably originated in Kent and East Anglia, coming across with the first wave of Puritans[1].Its shape evolved organically as an economical way to enlarge a house by adding ashedto a home's rear.
Original hand-riven oakclapboardsare still in place on some of the earliest New England saltboxes, such as theComfort Starr HouseandEphraim Hawley House.Once part of their exteriors, they are preserved in place in attics that were created whenshed-roofedadditions were added onto the homes.
The style was popular for structures throughout thecolonial periodand into theearly Republicfor its ability to enlarge the footprint of an existing structure at a minimum of cost. It was most common inMassachusetts,theConnecticut Valley,and in theWestern ReserveofOhioin the period from 1620 to mid 1700s, but continued to be built until around 1820.[2]
Saltbox homes can also be found in parts ofNewfoundland and Labrador[citation needed]as well as in parts of Michigan'sKeweenaw Peninsula.[3]
Catslide[edit]
The roof style is also known as acatslide roof– any roof that, in part, extends down below the maineaveheight, providing greater area under the roof.[4]If the roof continues at the same pitch, it is considered a "continuous catslide".[5] In the United States, the term is applied to roofs on houses in the Southeast, especially stretching fromMarylandsouth and west throughKentucky,and from early colonial times to around 1910. The term was borrowed from 17th century England where it referred to a secondary roof, often at the side of a building.[2]In the southern US, a catslide roof was usually covering a front or rear porch, often with a less steep pitch than the main roof.[6]
The term is applied to any roof with different eave heights, such as a house with one and a half stories above ground in the front and one story in the rear. The catslide could cover an open patio with a lower ceiling than the house, or could continue almost to the ground, creating a limited height storage area. A frontvestibulecould have a small catslide roof perpendicular to the main roof. Adormercould be designed with a catslide.[7]
Construction[edit]
Characteristic of most early New England colonial houses, saltboxes weretimber framed.Also known as post-and-beam construction, the techniquejoinslarge pieces of wood withmortise and tenonjoints, wooden pegs, braces, or trusses. Metal nails were sparingly used, as they were an expensive commodity at the time. The exterior of a saltbox was often finished with clapboard or another woodensiding.TheJosiah Day HouseinWest Springfield, Massachusetts,is constructed of brick.[8]
Images[edit]
-
Multiple-pitched catslide roofThomas Hawley House -
-
c. 1651Macy–Colby House,Amesbury, Massachusetts -
c. 1681John Adams Birthplace,Quincy, Massachusetts -
c. 1683Ephraim Hawley House,Nichols, Connecticut -
c. 1695Comfort Starr House,Guilford, Connecticut -
Side elevation of c. 1695Comfort Starr Houseillustrating the multiple-pitched roof line -
c. 1754 BrickJosiah Day HouseWest Springfield, Massachusetts -
c. 1838,Sturgeon House,Fairview, Pennsylvania
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Fischer, David Hackett (1991).Albion's seed: four British folkways in America.America, a cultural history (1. issued as paperback ed.). New York: Oxford Univ. Press.ISBN978-0-19-506905-1.
- ^ab"Architecture Catslide and Saltbox: vernacular forms that owe it to the roof".Early Homes.Spring 2010. p. 10.RetrievedMay 12,2022.
- ^"Miner's Memorial House".nps.gov.Keweenaw National Historical Park.Retrieved15 May2024.
- ^"Roof options for your oak-framed building".ehbp.com.English Heritage Buildings.Retrieved19 October2017.
- ^"Roofs and Roof Shapes".locallocalhistor.com.uk.RetrievedMay 12,2022.
- ^Russell Versaci (26 December 2013).Roots of Home: Our Journey to a New Old House.Taunton Press. pp. 129–.ISBN978-1-62710-718-1.
- ^Bock, Gordon (December 2001)."Saltboxes and Catslides (1660-1880)".Oldhouse Journal.pp. 65–67.RetrievedMay 12,2022.
- ^"Joshua Day House Museum".west-springfield.ma.us.West Springfield, Massachusetts. Archived fromthe originalon 2010-03-09.Retrieved2009-07-19.
External links[edit]
- "Saltbox Houses in the Historic American Buildings Survey",Prints & Photographs Division - Library of Congress
- "Timber-frame Houses in the Historic American Buildings Survey",Prints & Photographs Division - Library of Congress
- Early Connecticut Houses: An Historical and Architectural StudyBy Norman Morrison Isham, Albert Frederic Brown