Jacob Schmidt House & Tavern - Table of Contents ......... Black Rock - Table of Contents

2003 Interior Photos
Jacob
Schmidt House & Tavern
71 Amherst
Street, Buffalo, New York
Black Rock Neighborhood

Stairs: original, although moved before 1989 from the back of house; the turn made them easier to climb.



Looking down stairs from second story


Stairs: original - not worth saving because treads chiseled and filled



Hand railing: original; rare; cherry hand railing; pine spindles; originally painted.
Detail below ..... Style: Federal






Bedroom floor: original; width not uniform because hand hewn. This floor is varnished.



Floor: original; unvarnished.



Attic hatch: original



Hook rail: original; hand-cut pegs used to hang clothing in bedrooms.
Photo is of St. John's Church, 81 Amherst and this home. All three buildings are on the original 3/4 acre lot purchased by Augustus Porter.



Close up of hand-cut peg



Door: one of two original doors in the house that are in use. Authentic (as close as possible) color.



Door: original; hand planed (starting about 1860 doors were sawn); no beveling with ogee molding.
Authentic (as close as possible) color.




Detail of last photo: no ogee molding on hand-hewn door



Living room baseboard: original ogee molding used only in the more "public" part of the house



Front door: original (although bottom cut down); Federal style: cross and bible pattern



2-panel batten door: original; probably from in front of the kitchen stairs



Fireplace is not original to house, but is authentic to the 1830s.



Bedroom : Originally, there was plaster under the beams.


Bathroom



Attic ceiling. Note hand-hewn ax marks.



Split lathing and plank



Plank: lathe holes were not in straight line to prevent splitting the grain



Split lathe. Original. Process: 12"-15" high sheet nailed to wall. Grooves along grain chiseled out, then re-nailed and plastered. The owner has kept this wall intact for demonstration purposes.



Beams: 32' long, 8"x8" hand-hewn timber beams with pegged mortise and tenon joists



Upper half of joist rests in chopped out space in timber beam. 8"x8" hand-hewn timber beams; 3"x8" joists

Buried artifacts found on property, especially in the crawl space:
Ice skate blade ...  Ladies' button hook ... Pencil ... Hand-hammered spoon ... Indian beds (trade beads) ... Civil war buckle probably belonging to the son of house's owner ... Bisque pipe bowls and stems (sold in taverns) ... Doll ... Bone die ... Black chert (flint) Indian scraper (for fish, etc., usually carried in a pouch) ... Grape shot, possibly used in the War of 1812 battles which took place several blocks away near the Niagara River




John Howell clay beverage container bottle; c. 1850.
Howell owned a bottling plant on South Division St.
John was related to Stephen Howell who owned the house still standing on Dearborn and Amherst Streets.




Closer view of shoe. Note stitching in front and side.  Probably thrown in the attic for good luck (an old German custom)


Special thanks to Scott Glasgow for his assistance.
Photos and their arrangement © 2003 Chuck LaChiusa
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