Is there a reference that tells the age of a place by it's architecture?

[John 'n' W.Va]

I have a 1920 topo map that I use. All it tells me is that the place existed at that time. Can I tell by looking at a place about how old it is? I saw this place today. They are going to build a housing development there. I can see that they are putting in the storm water drains. No one lives there and no one was around today. I wonder how old that place really is? I will return.

[attachment 68764 9-21-07house.jpg]

I found this old school on my map, which was my goal today and the other places popped up. I asked permission to MD it. The 40 year old son had to get with his mother and would get back with me.

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I drove on down the road and asked a farmer about the place next to his place. He said the people that own the old school own the place next door. He said there was an old log cabin on his farm that he sold to some people in Iowa. They disassembled it and moved it to Iowa. He said come back next week when he wasn't so busy and he will take me to the site. Can you imagine that. A place to MD where the building hasn't littered the ground and is far from pull tabs.
WELL THIS IS THE PLACE NEXT DOOR. My map said it was not occupied in 1920. It has been gutted by fire resonantly. I wonder how old it is?

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After all that, I did a little MDing and this is my trash.

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PR takes time. I hope it pays off. I MD a 40's house today. The ball with the skull has metal in it. That is my 4th miner's tag for the year. Also a backing to a locket and one wheat, 1948. The Ever Brite spoon co. needs to change their name.

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[khouse]

John,
There's a house like that in my home town that was built in about 1895. Nice hunting finds!

 

[Uncle Willy]

Some look to date to the 1700's or before. Virginia was one of the original colonies so goes way back. Some of my ancestors came over from Europe and England and settled in Virginia in the early 1700's. You are in beeper heaven. Go to the courthouse and check with the County Registrar. They have records of all property back to its origin. They have maps and records of all kinds. I'd think I had died and gone to heaven if I was in the middle of all that. Hell my state wasn't even discovered until the early 1800's when Lewis & Clark ventured out here.

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

Forgot to say John - you can find that info at the library. Just tell the librarian what you are looking for and she will dig it up or direct you to it. It's a lovely way to spend an afternoon - browsing your local history..Ain't the Beale Treasure buried down there somewhere?

Bill

 

[Paul(NWO)]

It was owned by someone really rich or it was an Inn at one time. The tall narrow design of the front of the building is consistant with those of colonial New England. However it only means the design and could have been copied at a later date. Look for a field stone foundation that would be from the 1800's. If it has a concrete block foundation that could have been a replacement at a later date. The brick should be a later addition as should the porch and the rear extension. I would at least say the 1800's. If it was an Inn the owner probably hid money within eyesight of the windows or hidden within the building. This probably is a once in a lifetime opportunity. The current owners should know some of it's history. Get'er done.
HH

 

[Roper]

Hi, generally the key to older buildings is the foundation. Dry laid stones, crumbling bricks and mortar, and timbers are older. Look for where the 'old' brick yards were located as most communities had at least one and each has a time line. If you tell the local librarian you are interested in old foundations and bricks there should be considerable local information available. And migration history over the mountains.
I would guess in your area bricks and pottery production began about 1810-1830 with river clay as moving such things over the mountains would be difficult. Before then dry laid stones would be the prevailing foundation or timbers on a dirt floor. Any where you see stacked flat stones in a square or rectangle there was a building of some sort.
Many good finds come from locating old deserted foundations
Just a few thoughts, Roper

 

[Terry in PA]

Lot's of places like that here in PA.Most were built in the late 1700's to mid 1800's. If I were a betting man I'd say early to mid 1800's.
Looks like a great place to hunt. Most places like that I've found have had fill dirt put over it by the owners over the years. Have fun and look for the area of the out house. Good finds to be found there!

 

[John 'n' W.Va]

n/t

 

[John 'n' W.Va]

n/t

 

[Uncle Willy]

True but close enough. It's not like east coast or west coast.

Bill

 

[Roper]

either pre-date the local brick yard, or folks could not afford bricks for foundations. Your local history can date the first brick yard. I am more familiar with VA., TN, NC. and have found dry laid stone foundation sites to give up plenty of good finds. The down side is a two hundred year old site has a comparable time frame of trash, which is not always a bad thing.
In my experience, the older the site the better chance of finding someones hiding place. They did not trust banks.
As a side note if you can locate old grist mill sites, water wheel powered, they were the commerce center for villages. Still sites are interesting places to detect too.
If I were 25 years younger I'd come help you dig. You are in an interesting area.
Roper

 

[John 'n' W.Va]

My experience with those places is the trash has been terrible. Old iron stoves broken apart, saw blades. iron hooks from the fire places and lot of unidentifiable. I took a 2 miles walk to my mother's birth place and it was that way. I need your help.