Old barns are often full of treasurers. Here is an old fodder cutter. What kind of old treasures have you found in your Deerfield barn or garage?

You might see a noumber of these small outbuildings when driving around Deerfield. They were generally know as craft houses, cobbler’s or “ten footer” shops. Being a Yankee farmer often meant having many different income streams. One possiblity was to make shoes. Shoes were either made in these small houses or leather was cut in a central location ( Epping, Derry or Portsmouth) and farmed out to home piece workers to complete the work.

Shops had lots of window to provide light for the craftsman. Sometimes they were attached to the main house. This one on Church Street was changed to a laundry facility at some point in time. The inside has a double wash tub and has hooks on opposite walls to string laundry lines. Do you have “out buildings” attached or stand alone?

Read more

• Shoemakers in a “ten-footer” shop.
• Daniel Hunkins Shoe Shop, Buttonwoo Museum, Haverhill MA
• A Humble Cobbler’s Shop Gets a New Life, Yarmouth MA
• Robert Mathews Custom Shoemaker, Deerfield NH

Build in storage is part of many ol and new home in Deerfield. Often they are rough and made of whatever was on hand.

Do you have built in storage in your home?

This decorative corbel is stripped for repair and restoration. Decorative corbels were often added to older home to upate them to a more “contemporary” Victorian look. This one in on a Deerfield home at the Parade. Can you find it? Do you have an interesting architectural detail on your Deerfield home?