Maryland

The Chester House, Woolford, Maryland (38.030724, -78.311866)

Primary House Felling Dates: Spring 1835, Winter 1834/5

Site Master 1695-1834 (white oak) CSMDx1 (t = 8.38 ESHORE1; 7.25 POPMASTER; 7.11 LMP).

Description of the Chester House by Dennis J. Pogue:

The Joseph and Emma Chester House (4418 Harrisville Road, Woolford, Maryland) is an evolved one-story, gable-roofed structure featuring a main block comprising two sections that were originally separate buildings. The structures were relocated and joined together in the 20th century. Each of the buildings likely consisted of one room each on the first floor, with an accessible loft above. At roughly 16’ x 18’, the north section is slightly larger than the south building (approximately 15’7” x 17’1”); the peak of the south roof is slightly higher, creating an asymmetric roofline. Physical evidence indicates that the north section is the older of the two, as it was erected using traditional heavy timber framing methods, and the members exhibit a combination of hewn and sashsawn surfaces. The nails found throughout are cut and machine-headed, a type that was readily available by ca. 1830 and which continued to be commonly used until well after the Civil War. The fenestration consisted of a doorway and a window asymmetrically arranged on each long wall. The exterior end chimney and fireplace were centered on the south wall. The current enclosed staircase in the northeast corner is almost certainly an improved version of the original ladder stair that ran in approximately the same location. The framing on both the first floor and in the loft was exposed and minimally finished, receiving only coatings of whitewash until well into the 20th century.

Dendrochronological analysis has shown that the north section of the building was constructed from timbers felled in the winter of 1834/5 and the spring of 1835, suggesting that this section was constructed in the spring of 1835 or shortly thereafter. The exposed timbers in the south section of the building were found to be unsuitable for dendrochronology.

Worthington and Seiter 2024 "The Tree-Ring Dating of the Chester House, Woolford, Maryland." Oxford Tree-Ring Laboratory 2024/15.

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