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The original house was a gable-roofed two-story frame structure and had only a small porch and two main rooms—a hall and parior--downstairs and two bed- chambers above. Originally the hall was larger than the parlor, but later, the parlor was lengthened to the east by six feet, and the chamber over it correspondingly enlarged. This eastern addition is covered by a hipped roof. The massive central brick chimney of the original section measures 8 by 10 feet. Later in the 17th century, a lean-to containing two rooms was added at the back of the oldest portion; its long roof reaches very close to the ground on the north or rear side.
The interiors of the original section were much changed by repairs, added plaster, wallpaper, and paint, but there is still some very old wainscot on the west wall of the hall that maybe original: it is made of wide boards with- beaded edges, laid horizontally and overlapped, like clapboards. On the west wall of the chamber overhead, one can also see remains of the old clay filling, daubed on split oak laths between the heavy studs. The sturdy oak frame of the oldest section, with its 8 two-story posts, is of the "upright" type, without overhang. Principal rafters are joined together at the ridge, but there is no ridgepole, and only one purlin on each side. Some authorities assert that this original section was built with oak timbers brought from England.
A new wing, virtually a separate frame house with its own chimney, was added at the northeast rear corner, traditionally, about 1641. Entered by a small porch in the angle where the east wing joins the original house, this wing contains two rooms, each with a corner fireplace, and a large chamber above that is reached by a winding stair. The west wing, traditionally added about 1654, is entered by- a door from the hall at the west end of the original house. The two-story west wing has never had fireplaces or chimney, and the single bedroom on each floor is believed to have been used as chambers by the hired men of the Fairbank farm. Both east and west wings have a gambrel roof of a typical New England profile, and although their traditional dates of construction may be too early, it is likely that both had been completed by the time of Jonathan Fayerbanke's death in 1668.
Windows in the house have been changed, perhaps many times, but a fragment of leaded diamond-pane sash found in the hall chamber of the oldest section suggests their original appearance. Perhaps the two tiny upstair windows in the south (front) facade indicates their original size.
In 1964 part of the original fabric of the east wing was lost when a car skidded and came crashing through the outside wall. Again in 1967 more of
the original fabric was destroyed when an arsenist piled gasoline saturated clothes before the front door and ignited them. The fire spread rapidly over the clapboarding and onto the roof before it was extinguished. A section about six feet wide at the center of the house to the left of the door was badly burned. In both these instances a local carpenter successfully replaced
the damaged materials.
In 1969 a preservative based on creosote was applied to the clapboarding and wooden shingles during the autumn. The town of Dedham installed a sidewalk and curbing outside the boundary fence, which itself was strengthened to give added protection to the house. The house is currently undergoing the restora- tion of its fieldstone foundation which had been encased in concrete, probably about 1910, and was absorbing water and rotting the wood.
Whether or not the Fairbanks House in Dedham, Massachusetts is accurately identified as the oldest existing frame dwelling in the United States, 1636-38, it is certainly one of the earliest and finest preserved examples of the organic growth many houses underwent in the period of seventeenth-century medieval design. The house has been in continuous possession of the Fairbanks since its construction,adding a continuity to its history which links it directly to the past.
HISTORY
Although 1636 is frequently given as the date of construction of the original portion of the house, i t may have been a year or two later, as the builder, Johnathan Fayerbanke, did not arrive in Dedham until September 1636 with his wife and six children. The family had arrived in Boston three years earlier from Yorkshire, England. He was granted twelve acres of land including upland for his house lot and four acres of swampland.
Fairbanks must have prospered, taking an active part in committees and town meetings. He received additional landgrants in 1637, 1642, 1644 and 1656 and as his wealth expanded, so did his house.
The center portion of the present house is the oldest. The original house consisted of a small porch, hall and parlor downstairs and bedchambers above. Later, a lean-to was added at the back and, tradition says in 1641, a wing
was added to the east side of the house. Still later, traditionally around 1654, the west wing was added. Both east and west wings have the gambrel roofs typical of New England, and although their traditional dates may be too early, it is likely that both had been completed by the time of Jonathan Fayerbanke*s death in 1668.
Some authorities assert that the original house was built with oak timbers brought from England. It is known that some 17th century settlers moving to new territory took prepared timbers with, them in order to erect their houses quickly for defensive purposes, and this may have been the case with the Fairbanks House. An additional point of interest is the fact that the house has been in the possession of the Fairbanks family throughout its entire existence of more than 3Q0 years. The Fairbanks Family Association has main- tained the homestead in excellent condition since 1903 and it is opened as a house museum
Chamberlain, Samuel, Open House in New England, Brattleboro, Vt., 1937.
Jones, Alvin Lincoln, Ye Olde Fayerbanks House, Boston, 1894.
Kimball, Fiske, Domestic Architecture of the American Colonies and of the Early Republic, New York, 1922.
Lathrop, Elise, Historic Houses of Early America, New York, 1927. Morrison, Hugh, Early American Architecture, New York, 1952. Nicholson, Arnold, American Houses in History, New York, 1965.
Side note
Re-evaluation of construction date due to dendrochronology
As a result of the dendrochronology testing of Phase I of Fairbanks House in November of 2001, the construction date of the building has now been identified as 1641. The research team consisted of Daniel Miles and Michael Worthington of the Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory, England, with Anne Grady of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA) acting as liaison. Their report, cited below, presented the following results and conclusions. A total of nineteen samples were taken from the house. Of the timbers sampled from the primary frame, eight were from the principal framing timbers including a sill beam, summer beam, fireplace lintel, ceiling joist, corner post, chimney girt, and studs. Only three of these timbers were dated successfully, with the summer beam dating to the winter of 1637/8 and the ceiling joist to the winter of 1640/41. The sill beam date was less exact but produced a date range consistent with the other two. This would suggest that the house was under construction as early as 1641. Four additional samples, which were clearly from the same tree, were later taken by restoration carpenter Michael Burrey of lining boards from the bottom of the stairs. The latest rings from these boards were from 1638 and 1640, but a small amount of sapwood had been removed for finishing, accounting for the difference in dates. Thus, this boarding is likely to be part of the original decorative finish, applied on completion of the frame shortly after 1641. Five of the roof boards were also sampled by Michael Burrey. Four of these timbers were dated successfully, one to the winter of 1652/3, and the remaining three to the winter of 1654/5. The fact that they are fourteen years later in date than the timbers in the main body of the house suggests that they represent an early alteration to the roofing.
The full results of the analysis are presented in: D. W. H. Miles, M. J. Worthington, and Anne Andrus Grady, Development of Standard Tree-Ring Chronologies for Dating Historic Structure in Eastern Massachusetts, Phase II, Massachusetts Historical Commission Survey and Planning Grant Completion Report, Interim Report 2002/6, Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities and Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory, May 31, 2002. An abridged version of the report can be found on the website www.dendrochronology.com. The full report can be found at no
A thousand cranes were folded, and many of them ended up on this frame. The others hung from the ceiling in the tent.
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Frame, station, clock, organ, arch, vertical, church, facade, gold, gilded, architecture, Belgium, Flanders, colour, horizontal, Nikon D7200, Magda indigo
The frame on this tiger print, with it's mottled, glittering shades, matches the tiger's coat and the background perfectly.
Northbourne House, Canberra, being renovated into a hotel.
Canon EOS Rebel 2000 camera, Canon EF 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 lens, Kodak Portra 160 colour negative film.
Sea Shells, Fishes, Birds, Butterflies, Dogs, Botanicals, Equestrians, Decorative Arts, Fashions, Zodiac Map, Maps, Architectures
Full frame, but of course, in this case, quite a bit of levels and saturation.
Red Wattlebird jumping.