The view across the big field of the Plantation House. Previous visitors to this location may notice that the hedge to the right of the house and the English boxed garden in front of the house have been removed.
Plantation House at Magnolia Plantation & Gardens
Another view taken a few days later, on a grey afternoon, image cooked up just a bit.
For such an amazing architectural beauty, this staircase is in a very small space, making it is difficult to photograph it all. Standing underneath and looking up provides an interesting view.
Up Through the Staircase
This view shows a small door to the outdoors, which seems out of place. The light shining out of the underside of the staircase allows a view of the construction.
Cantilevered Staircase, First Floor, Trap Door to Root Cellar in Floor
And it sticks out on the other side of the staircase, just like the window in my post about the second floor view.
Looking Across a Tread of the Staircase
This is that little door from the outside. One of the museum volunteers told me this was used to access the root cellar, again a bit of practical over maintaining full symmetry.
I’m 5′ 8″ (1.7 M) and when I stood on the step of this door my hair would have grazed the header if I could have stepped in.
Door Under Staircase From Outside
Nathaniel Russell House Museum, Charleston, SC
January 27, 2023
This home has been restored to its 1808 appearance and is part of the Historic Charleston Foundation collection.
Built in 1808, the design of a Charleston merchant’s home was all about symmetry. And impressing your neighbors, like this three-story, cantilevered, flying staircase was intended to do.
Window Behind the Cantilevered Staircase, Second Floor
Sometimes, reality didn’t match the rules, and this window is not evenly placed behind the staircase. But it does illustrate that the staircase doesn’t touch the wall for support.
Window Behind the Cantilevered Staircase
This window seen from the outside, taken from what is now the narrow driveway to the back of the property. My back was at the wall of the First (Scots) Presbyterian Church next door and the trees reflected in the glass are in the graveyard.
Window From Outside
Nathaniel Russell House Museum, Charleston, SC
January 27, 2023
This home has been restored to its 1808 appearance and is part of the Historic Charleston Foundation collection.
Yes, it is pink. And pretty dramatic looking in the Gothic Revival style.
French Huguenot Church, Charleston, Ted just visible in lower right
A gap in vehicle and pedestrian traffic, no leaves on the Crepe Myrtles, and a beautiful sky came together on Friday for an unusual photo opportunity of this landmark.
French Huguenot Church, Charleston
The church sits across Church street from the Dock Street Theater, and as a fan of reflection images I couldn’t pass this up.
French Huguenot Church Reflected in Dock Street Theater Window
French Huguenot Church, Charleston, SC
January 27, 2023
The symmetry and bling of the historic Nathaniel Russell House is on full display in the oval drawing room.
Oval Drawing Room Ceiling and Chandelier
I am fascinated by these tri-column mirror panels. Rather like a fun-house mirror, just shifting your position an inch or two changes the scene. Here, triplicates of a music stand with varying amounts of a standing harp next to it.
Oval Drawing Room Rounded Mirrors
Despite the wealth and import business that would have allowed the Russells to have mahogany doors, the hallway doors are faux. The skill and expense of applying the design to a pine door was valued over real mahogany.
Oval Drawing Room Rounded Mirrors, Open door that leads to hallway
Nathaniel Russell House Museum, Charleston, SC
January 27, 2023
This home has been restored to its 1808 appearance and is part of the Historic Charleston Foundation collection.
Once he has the shingle in his hand the mill worker cuts one edge off…
Cedar Shingle Mill
…flips the shingle over…
Cedar Shingle Mill
…cuts the second edge off…
Cedar Shingle Mill
then flips the shingle into a pile.
Cedar Shingle Mill
Meanwhile the next shingle is ready…
Cedar Shingle Mill
Just to the left you can see a building sided with cedar shingles from this demonstration mill.
Cedar Shingle Mill
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I was fortunate that during my September visit the Maine Forest and Logging Museum was having Living History Days.
The Maine Forest and Logging Museum in Bradley has a variety of exhibits intended “to preserve, celebrate and educate people about the sustainable forest culture of Maine.”
Wooden shingles have long been used in New England due to the abundance of wood and its durability. Ingenuity and mechanical innovations led to commercial production equipment like this Shingle Mill on display at the Maine Forest and Logging Museum.
A short length of cedar is fixed into a mechanism that carries the wood to the saw.
Shingle Mill
The mill worker takes each shingle…
Cedar Shingle Mill
… in a well practiced movement…
Cedar Shingle Mill
…lifts the shingle away from the saw blade.
Cedar Shingle Mill
A wider view:
Cedar Shingle Mill
This mill has an amazing number of moving parts.
Built By Hackett & Witham, Skowhegan ME
I was fortunate that during my September visit the Maine Forest and Logging Museum was having Living History Days.
The Maine Forest and Logging Museum in Bradley has a variety of exhibits intended “to preserve, celebrate and educate people about the sustainable forest culture of Maine.”
I was fortunate that during my September visit the Maine Forest and Logging Museum was having Living History Days.
I’m not keen on taking photographs of strangers and this was a well attended event so my images were somewhat restricted.
One of the highlights of the museum is the water powered saw mill which sits on Blackman Stream. The smoke up the stream was from the encampment of the trapper reenactor, who was cooking stew.
Leonards Mills on Blackman Stream
Next is the downstream view from that little bridge by the smoke in the first picture, with the covered bridge to the left and the mill works in the middle. It was a grey, dull day and not much fall foliage change; these few pops of orange was about it.
Leonards Mills on Blackman Stream
The Maine Forest and Logging Museum in Bradley has a variety of exhibits intended “to preserve, celebrate and educate people about the sustainable forest culture of Maine.”