Information/Specs

Drawings
Floor Plan
Bents
Elevation

Photos
Before Dismantling
During Dismantling
Names on timbers

On at least two timbers, names and dates have been carved.  A little research has revealed who the carvers probably were.

John Smith left this record of his presence in 1880.  Unfortunately, John Smith is too common a name to find a sure candidate for the carver.  The 1880 US Census for Hopewell Township offers several candidates who could be the John Smith who left this mark.  The best candidate, though, is 19 year old John Smith, a farm worker living as a boarder on the Hopewell Township farm of Henry Blackwell that year.  What makes him such a good candidate is that the Henry Blackwell farm was adjacent to the David G. Baldwin farm.  Charles and Margaret Fish had sold the farm to Ellen Baldwin, David's wife, in 1878.  So, it is very likely that young John Smith, born in New Jersey of parents from Bavaria, was working on the Baldwin farm at some time in 1880 and made this carving.

On another timber is engraved "W. F. Lemon 1861".  The rubbing of this engraving missed one stroke of the "W" but is otherwise complete. The 1860 US Census for Hopewell Township shows several Lemon families, but no clear evidence of one with the initials W.F.  One of the Lemon families, John R. and Elizabeth Lemon, apparently lived pretty close to the Fish family.  In the 1850 census we find them enumerated as household 375 while the Fish family is 382.  John and Elizabeth had a son, William Foster, born June 2, 1849.  It is almost certain that W.F. Lemon is William Foster who would have been a 12 year old farm boy in 1861.  Perhaps he was living with the Fish family as a laborer.  Note that the quality of the carving changes as the name and date are completed.  The first few letters are very carefully and complexly carved.  Serifs are included, edges are neatly incised.  As we get to the middle of the name and especially for the date, the letters are not as clear and carefully formed.  Perhaps this is due to the notoriously short attention span of some 12 year olds.  The timber this is carved in was way up at the roof line so young William F. had to climb high to carve his name.  Again, something a 12 year old might undertake.