Collier huts
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]. Three inch poles that sloped inward[6] were used as the basic structure and the spaces between them were filled in with smaller poles. The basic structure was composed of wood, with leaves and soil acting as insulation by filling in the gaps between posts. Additionally, collier huts consisted of: a hearth; a small door, which hung on framework[7] and was approximately four to six feet in height[8], and cots constructed out of logs[9].
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[10], faced the pits[11]. 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[12]. The indication of a good collier was one who obtained a high-yield of quality charcoal from the wood he used[13].
Notes
References
- 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.