Ask Historic New England | August 2018

Without modern machinery, how did early settlers build stone foundations for their houses? —Jenn F., Newton, MA

As with carpentry, building a stone foundation is an art with its own special set of tools and techniques. Most of the stones were gathered as fields were cleared. Farmers loaded rocks onto a sleigh or carried them to field edges for later use. While the vast majority of the stones were laid using simple manpower, larger stones could be heaved into position using an array of tools. The most portable and useful of these was a simple pry bar levered on a log. With this, a laborer could roll a stone onto the wall while a mason and his fellows guided it into place. Mounding earth within the foundation produced ramps for nudging the stones higher up the wall.

The more sophisticated technologies for lifting stones were in fact quite old, but highly effective. These included the slab lifter, a device somewhat like the tongs used for hauling ice, which could be clamped onto, or sometimes into, individual stones. When attached to a strong rope, it held the stone as the mason and his fellows lifted it into position using the leverage of a pulley or block and tackle. The work was hard, but not impossible if the mason followed the No. 1 precept of stonework: Go slow.

Suzanne Buchanan Preservation services manager

I’d like to add a storm/screen door to my Victorian house. The problem is that the entrance has tall, narrow double doors and I can’t find a storm/screen combination that will match. How can I get a set of double storm/screen doors to fit?—Calvin A., Dublin, NH

Houses of the 1850s through the 1890s typically have tall, narrow double doors in handsome, elaborately detailed and molded hardwoods, like mahogany or walnut, with glazed upper sections and ornate hardware. You are lucky your original double doors have survived — many have been lost to upgrades for easier access or enhanced security.

It can be very difficult to find doors of a matching size in salvage yards, and newer doors are not made with the narrow, double-leaf (each door is called a leaf) configuration of the originals. This means finding an architectural millwork shop that can reproduce the proportions of the original. The same is true for a storm/screen door. There are a few custom-screen-door makers who can produce a pair of screen doors with Victorian detailing to fit the size and style of your door. They may be able to add a storm panel. Otherwise, check with a custom millwork shop in your area to see if it can produce a storm/screen door for you. Sometimes, it is worth a little more cost and effort to get the perfect look for your Victorian entrance.

Sally Zimmerman Senior preservation services manager

I own a farmhouse dating from the 1850s. In the ell of the house, there are two big pots built into the brick fireplace. Do you know what they could be? —Dave z., Newmarket, NH

Those pots are called set kettles, boilers, or wash boilers, and they represent an interesting time in the evolution of kitchen technology. They were invented in Europe in the late 18th century. However, their popularity in the United States was pushed by their inclusion in pattern books, like Asher Benjamin’s The American Builder’s Companion (1806). In the early 19th century, these boilers started to be installed in American houses.

Set kettles generally consist of an iron kettle (or kettles) built into a brick counter, with a firebox below each kettle. They were often attached to the back or side of existing fireplaces, and were used to boil large quantities of water for cooking (food for both humans and animals), laundry, and cleaning. Often these kettles would be paired with brick bake ovens.

Another example of a set kettle can be seen at the Rundlet-May House in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. James Rundlet, who had the house built in 1807, sought out the most modern innovations in heating and cooking technology. In addition to having a set kettle in the scullery, he also was one of the first Americans to have a Rumford range and roaster, a revolutionary (though complex) appliance for cooking.

Set kettles were replaced in the 1880s by the invention of water heating containers, generally made of copper that attached to stoves.

Gillian Lang Preservation services manager

  Historic New England is the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive regional heritage organization in the nation. Historic New England shares the region’s history through vast collections, publications, programs, museum properties, archives, and stories that document more than 400 years of life in New England. For more information visit: HistoricNewEngland.org.