Collier huts: Difference between revisions
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==Construction== | ==Construction== | ||
Collier huts were conical<ref>Peate and Walton 1958, 58</ref>, with a base eight feet across and ten feet high<ref>Kemper 1941, 8</ref>. The area where a collier decided to construct his hut was cleared of anything that would make the ground uneven, such as brush, stones, or stumps<ref>Kemper 1941, 8</ref>. A master collier and one or two helpers "coaled" together, working as many as eight or nine pits at a time. <ref> National Park Service 1941, 13</ref>. Three inch poles that sloped inward, crossed at the apex<ref>Peate and Walton 1958, 58</ref>, and were bound at the top were used as the basic structure for the huts and the spaces between the poles were filled in with smaller pieces of wood. Leaves and soil were packed in to act as insulation by filling in the gaps between posts<ref>Kemper 1941, 8</ref>. Additionally, collier huts consisted of: a hearth; a small door which hung on framework<ref>Peate and Walton 1958, 60</ref> and was approximately four to six feet in height<ref>Peate and Walton 1958, 62</ref>, and cots constructed out of logs<ref>Kemper 1941, 8</ref>. When identifying the remains of a collier hut, important features to look for are: a trench; a berm, which may have an opening where the door would have been; and a circular depression in the center<ref>Carter et al. 2019, 43-44</ref>. | Collier huts were conical<ref>Peate and Walton 1958, 58</ref>, with a base eight feet across and ten feet high<ref>Kemper 1941, 8</ref>. And while the the conically shaped hut was the standard for colliers, regional variations in style existed<ref>Peate and Walton 1958,63</ref> .The area where a collier decided to construct his hut was cleared of anything that would make the ground uneven, such as brush, stones, or stumps<ref>Kemper 1941, 8</ref>. A master collier and one or two helpers "coaled" together, working as many as eight or nine pits at a time. <ref> National Park Service 1941, 13</ref>. Three inch poles that sloped inward, crossed at the apex<ref>Peate and Walton 1958, 58</ref>, and were bound at the top were used as the basic structure for the huts and the spaces between the poles were filled in with smaller pieces of wood. Leaves and soil were packed in to act as insulation by filling in the gaps between posts<ref>Kemper 1941, 8</ref>. Additionally, collier huts consisted of: a hearth; a small door which hung on framework<ref>Peate and Walton 1958, 60</ref> and was approximately four to six feet in height<ref>Peate and Walton 1958, 62</ref>, and cots constructed out of logs<ref>Kemper 1941, 8</ref>. When identifying the remains of a collier hut, important features to look for are: a trench; a berm, which may have an opening where the door would have been; and a circular depression in the center<ref>Carter et al. 2019, 43-44</ref>. | ||
==Location== | ==Location== | ||
Revision as of 14:10, 9 September 2020
While producing charcoal, colliers stayed in temporary huts they constructed located near their hearths[1]. Colliers tended to multiple charcoal hearths while they lived on the mountain[2]. Each hearth took approximately two weeks to complete. A collier would mind a hearth closely for the first couple of days; after that, he would spend time starting a new hearth. Colliers could typically tend up to eight hearths at a time[3].
Construction
Collier huts were conical[4], with a base eight feet across and ten feet high[5]. And while the the conically shaped hut was the standard for colliers, regional variations in style existed[6] .The area where a collier decided to construct his hut was cleared of anything that would make the ground uneven, such as brush, stones, or stumps[7]. A master collier and one or two helpers "coaled" together, working as many as eight or nine pits at a time. [8]. Three inch poles that sloped inward, crossed at the apex[9], and were bound at the top were used as the basic structure for the huts and the spaces between the poles were filled in with smaller pieces of wood. Leaves and soil were packed in to act as insulation by filling in the gaps between posts[10]. Additionally, collier huts consisted of: a hearth; a small door which hung on framework[11] and was approximately four to six feet in height[12], and cots constructed out of logs[13]. When identifying the remains of a collier hut, important features to look for are: a trench; a berm, which may have an opening where the door would have been; and a circular depression in the center[14].
Location
A collier would construct his hut in a location as central to the charcoal pits he was burning as possible, and would have laid out the hut so that the wooden door, which was large enough for one man to fit through[15], faced the pits[16]. Throughout the charcoal production process, the charcoal hearths required constant tending to throughout the day and night. If a collier let the fire consume his wood completely, he would be charged for its loss; so proximity to one's hearths was very important[17]. The indication of a good collier was one who obtained a high-yield of quality charcoal from the wood he used[18].
Notes
- ↑ Walker 1966, 242
- ↑ Kemper 1941, 8
- ↑ Kemper 1941, 8
- ↑ Peate and Walton 1958, 58
- ↑ Kemper 1941, 8
- ↑ Peate and Walton 1958,63
- ↑ Kemper 1941, 8
- ↑ National Park Service 1941, 13
- ↑ Peate and Walton 1958, 58
- ↑ Kemper 1941, 8
- ↑ Peate and Walton 1958, 60
- ↑ Peate and Walton 1958, 62
- ↑ Kemper 1941, 8
- ↑ Carter et al. 2019, 43-44
- ↑ Kemper 1941, 8
- ↑ Walker 1966, 242
- ↑ Walker 1966, 247
- ↑ Walker 1966, 245
References
- Carter, Benjamin, Michaela Feinberg, Deborah Grieder, and Stuart Hanford. 2019. Charcoal Lands: A report on archaeological investigations in State Games Lands #217, Fall 2018.
- Kemper, Jackson. 1941. American Charcoal Making in the Era of the Cold-Blast Furnace. History 14. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior; National Park Service.
- Peate, Iorwerth C. and James Walton. 1958. "Charcoal Burners Huts." Gerwin, Vol. 2 (2), 58-67.
- Walker, Joseph E. 1966. Hopewell Village; a Social and Economic History of an Iron-Making Community. Philadelphia,: Univ. of Pennsylvania Press.