Some of my builds

[Vermin_King]

In the photos, the silver metallic doesn't look that far off. Would a couple passes with a matte clear coat help?

I'm not familiar with this roof type. I don't believe I've seen it elsewhere. How thick was the metal in the panels?

[wideride]

Hello VK! I'll have to try the matte clear coat. That may tame the glossy look. I do like the color, it is real close to fairly fresh melted lead.
I think that the material for the roof was supplied by the Louisville Iron and Foundry Works. It looks like something out of their 1872 catalog. The panels shown were 2 feet wide by 6 feet wide. The farmhouse panels were 3 foot by six foot. The fastening brackets that the panels were bolted to (round head stove bolts with 1/2 inch nuts, I remember that) were cast iron. I remember that they were a lot thicker than anything I've ever seen. I'm guessing around 1/8 inch. You could see pitting on nearly all the panels once you got up on the roof, but it was still solid as could be. When my uncles walked around on it, it did not flex like 'tin' roofing I'd worked with before. I only went up there one time to slap some paint on the edges of the roof (what I could reach from the ladder). I let my uncles spry the rest of it. I wasn't keen about the pitch or the height.
I've seen one other example of this style (or I think I did) on a building that was used as the 'power house' at the old New Albany Box & Basket factory. When they tore it down back in the late 80's, they loaded those roof panels onto a flatbed semi trailer to take to the scrapper. I didn't get a close look at them, but they sure had the same appearance. It was a unique material and style, that was for sure.

George

[missileer]

George,

I just got a chance to take a brake and look at your handy work. That is one magnificent house and build! I agree with you on the chimneys (and maybe the designer did also). Unless you distinctly remember one of them being larger than the others, the architect may have designed 3 of them larger than necessary to keep them all of equal size. Anyway, it looks great!

John

[beckychestney]

I like it! I really gotta start paying attention more!

[wideride]

OK. For all practical purposes, the old farmhouse is done. I'll likely add some trim to the vertical walls, but as far as this model, I'm ready to get back to the block party down on Main Street. As I said before, this was a home I've wanted to model since the 1970's and I had fun doing it. I changed up some minor things on the parts sheets and made correction as I went, so the next build should go fairly easy. Note that I did the porch posts in the appropriate colors. I'm not sure why I left them in black. Brain fade due to heat maybe? The next incarnation of this model will be of a haunted version. Work has started on that, but we'll take some time with it.



This homes' construction started in 1869 on the partial foundation of a previous residence. Both homes were built by Edmond White of New Providence (now Borden), Indiana. He bought a 400 acre farm in 1858 that sat on top of Bartle Knob Hill, between New Providence and Memphis, In. He put an addition onto the existing house and built a new barn across the road to house the hemp operation he started that year. Hemp was a growing business crop in that area of Clark County back then. It was hilly, of course, so a lot of the crops grown down 'on the flats' didn't fair as well on the fertile, but rocky soil on the hills. So, beside the garden where small amounts of food was grow for the household, most of these farms were either cattle or sheep operations. Edmond changed that.
Hemp was used for many things in the 1800's, but the biggest demand for it's use was in making rope. Mr. White had learned about it's importance during his time spent at the University of Louisville while studying law. He negotiated a contract with a Louisville firm that manufactured rope, and did very well for himself in the first couple of years.
In the winter of 1861, with the possibility of war looming closer, he convinced a dozen other farmers to convert their farms to hemp. The military needed more rope and Edmond saw the opportunity for him and his neighbors to be one of those sources. They formed a Co-op, re-negotiated the contract and hoped each could see a little profit from a situation none of them really wanted to see happen. What happened is that they all became, if not down right wealthy, very well off.
Seems the strain of hemp they grew up there made most excellent rope for maritime use; both salt and fresh water. With the military just starting to use sciences and testing to 'prove' a materials use, the Navy found that the rope that came from Louisville was some of the best produced in the nation! By 1865, not only had the size of the farms and the Co-op grown, they also acquired majority ownership in the factory that turned their raw product into the much demanded finished product.
Edmond White was only 32 years old in 1868 when, as President of the Co-op and the factory, he decided the time to marry had come. Having lost his first house to lightning that fall, he decided to build a grand home on the same site at the top of the hill. It would be a testament to his stature in the community, but more importantly, as a wonderful gift to his wife for waiting for him 'to make it' in the years they had been engaged.
That is how such a home came to be built in the rural Southern Indiana hill country. Of course there is more to the story, but for now, I remind myself that this is a build thread and not a history lesson! (The haunted version will cover more of that!)

Been windy enough for one day! Hope everyone is safe and comfortable today!
George

[Vermin_King]

In the words of Michael Crichton, 'If you don't know history, you don' know ...'. You get the drift.

I always appreciate the history. Nice work

[missileer]

I totally agree with VK. I always want to know the history (if possible) behind the model I'm building or admiring. Great story!

John

[wideride]

Thank you VK and John. The gentleman that my Aunt and Uncle (Linda & Jack) bought the place from lived just a mile up the road. For years, if he caught us kids out in the barnyard or side yard of the house, he would sit and tell us stories about his family (he was a White himself) and the house. I'm ashamed to say it, but at the time, I was more annoyed at the interruption than I would be a bit later in life. Thinking back on it, he told us those stories so they might have a chance of living on, as he had no children of his own that were still alive.
Talking about still alive, I spent the better part of Saturday and Sunday at the hospital. Everything is fine, it was a 'false alarm', but sure did shake my wife up pretty good (me too-I agreed to go, so I was a bit concerned also!). Had my first ever stress test. As if going to a hospital isn't a stress test all it's own!
Have a great day everyone!
George

[Vermin_King]

Glad it was just a false alarm

[missileer]

Also glad to hear that there is no problem. Fair warning; it reminds me of a story (just hit delete). During my 4 years at the Naval Academy, the medics detected a somewhat irregular heartbeat. So they sent me to the hospital for a stress test. When I got to the level of a steeplechase runner (which I was in those days), my heart settled down to regular beat. The doctor dismissed me from the hospital with the quip, "You just need a little more stress in your life to keep your heart beating properly." As if I didn't have a enough daily stress just attending the Academy.