Alan B. Crawford

This week, I’m taking the opportunity to provide everyone with an update on how the renovations are progressing with the Benedict Home. And yes, they are moving forward and everything looks great! The new homeowner, who is a professional contractor, will be living there once it’s finished. He has a lot to be proud of! He’s not taking any shortcuts and ensuring this structure will endure another two hundred years!

It would be nice to preserve everything as it once was, but that is not sometimes practical or safe. Much of the first floor’s floor joists needed to be replaced. The original joists, which can see in the photos, were rough cut trees, shaped and finished with the tools of the day back in the early 1800’s which were simply axes. You can see the hand hewn logs still exhibit the craftsmanship of the original builders. Amazingly these had held up for so long, but it’s time they are replaced and the home given a new life. Some of these great treasures from our past will be re-purposed. In one photo, you can see an early example of a mortise and tenon joint.

In some areas, the original timbers were strengthened with new lumber being added. So much work has been accomplished, I’m amazed. The floors are now all level and sound to walk on. New partitions have been framed and a new floor plan has been laid out. This is a spacious home and will be making a proud return as a member of our community.

Sadly, the original chimney could not be saved. If you go back to some of my previous article photos, you can see the design was somewhat skewed. It wasn’t a straight vertical design. It had a number of bends, and had sections where the flue tiles had previously been re-grouted. Simply said, it wasn’t safe and really not functional. Also, the original coal fired furnace has suffered water damage and was scrapped. I looked over the bricks, but could not locate any manufacturing marks. All appear to be smooth sided on all six sides.

The rear section of the structure which was where the kitchen was had severe water damage and had to be torn down. Once the foundation has been rebuilt and the entire back side of the main building reframed, it will be restored. So much effort is going in to making this a future showcase of our Town. We need to welcome our new neighbor and support him in his efforts to restore and make this his home. The yard has also begun to be cleared and trees trimmed. I wish I had this much energy. I’m amazed at how talented this one family is performing this work!