Here are some pictures of two homes built on the prairie in South Dakota, probably late 1800s, or very early 1900s
They are half a mile apart, and were probably built by the same home builder, who was a master craftsman in my opinion. Some of the details are very forward thinking and quite ornate.
WHEN WE BUILD, LET US THINK THAT WE BUILD FOREVER. LET IT NOT BE FOR PRESENT USE ALONE. LET IT BE SUCH WORK AS OUR DECENDENTS WILL THANK US FOR. AND LET US THINK,AS WE LAY STONE ON STONE, THAT A TIME IS TO COME WHEN THOSE STONES WILL BE HELD SACRED BECAUSE OUR HANDS HAVE TOUCHED THEM, AND THAT PEOPLE WILL SAY, AS THEY LOOK UPON THE LABOR AND WROUGHT SUBSTANCE OF THEM, "SEE! THIS OUR PARENTS DID FOR US"
JOHN RUSKIN
Thank you, whoever you are.
Date(s): November 20, 2006. Album by Rollie Peschon. 1 - 16 of 16 Total. 5438 Visits.
1 House #1
2 Front porch post detail.
3 sunburst gable end
4 Hand railing at upper level
5
6 Building paper behind siding
7 Valance fascia on porch
8
9 exterior wall assembly
1/2" lap siding solid spaced sheathing stud cavity. Solid sheathing lath and plaster on inside finish
10 House #2
11 Decorative fascia at porch, with beadboard gable
12 Note the top 4 courses of siding at each side of the door.
The builder notched an angular notch every 4 inches in the bottom of the siding, and grooved a vertical line up from the V to make it look like shingles.
Very interesting application/detail
13 More building paper. manufactured in Sioux City Iowa.
14 Another interesting siding application, where he scroll sawed the tear drops, and grooved the vertical lines to look like round bottom shingles
15 Roof to wall flashing, where the porch roof was originally attached to the ledger board. I assume the porch had been removed, and the flashing nailed down. The red piece of metal was part of a kickout flashing from the other roof.
16 Wiring in this house, was/is more current than the wiring in my 1928 home, (knob and tube) which tells me that this home was built, prior to electricity coming to the prairie and was retrofitted with power sometime in the 40s, when that type of wiring became available.
Thanks. I love these two old homes, and am trying to get into the county system out there, to see if there are others around the area that were built by this craftsman. Maybe, there will be one that is still being lived in.
One can only hope, that someday, someone will be able to take a picture of one of the many homes I've been involved with (thanks to your father) and the craftsmanship will cause them to think about the person that built the home.
Thanks for checkin in. - Rollie, Thu, 1 Feb 2007 6:53PM
I love the charm and hidden stories behind an old house. It is nice to see you point out the craftmanship from where other's would have a hard time seeing value. Finding your web site was a nice surprise. Hello to your family from your Indiana cousins! - Jill Margetts, Thu, 1 Feb 2007 5:54PM
