June 25, 2009
Behind the Shingles: 17th and 18th Century Houses of Southern Massachusetts
An exhibition on reading the secrets of old houses through the clues that they leave.
July 11th - October 23 2009
Wednesday through Saturday 10 AM - 4 PM
Free
“Behind the Shingles” presents the personal collection of architectural historian Pete Baker and explains the essentials of early New England architecture. During a 40-year career as restoration contractor and consultant on more than 200 hundred antique structures, Pete Baker has gathered an encyclopedic collection of materials from structures in southern Massachusetts.
In the words of Pete Baker, curator of this exhibition: “Every old house has a story - in its cellar, attic, and behind its walls: imprints from hinges, latches, locks and window catches; the chafe marks from daily chores and thresholds worn from years of footsteps; a broken saucer; a pewter spoon, an English coin; and the carpenter’s scribe marks and Roman numerals that link the house to the day of raising. In each ancient structure there are clues to the past – if we take the time and concern to look, to learn, to touch, to document, to preserve. By so doing we will be able to give our past to the future."
The exhibition will explore common questions for those who live in or have an interest in old houses. What to look for in an old house? How do you unlock the secrets of an old house, what are the clues to the history of a house? When was the house built? The answers to these questions lie in the structure, building materials and techniques used. The exhibition will include examples of bricks, nails, windows, doors and framing from 17th and 18 century houses and will examine how these materials evolved over time. The exhibition also explores modern techniques such as dendrochronology which analyzes growth rings of timbers used in construction to determine the date of a house within a range of a few years. Many objects from the Waite Potter House, Westport’s oldest house, will be on display.
This exhibition was curated by Pete Baker and organized by Westport Historical Society and Westport Historical Commission. The project is supported by the Helen E. Ellis Charitable Trust administered by Bank of America.