Can a Condo Be Early American?
 Some early copies of the February 2010 issue of Early American Life did not include the story about the Webb Condominium ("Can a Condo Be Early American?") due to production problems. You can download a copy of the complete story by clicking here. Warning: the file is 700 kilobytes and takes a while to download. Your system will appear unresponsive until it finishes.
Click here to read more. Replacement Window Worksheet
 Whether you should replace or restore the windows in an old home is a question both of aesthetics and cost. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources provides a worksheet for figuring the energy savings from replacing or upgrading windows on its website. You can download a copy of the Window Replacement/Window Reduction Worksheet by clicking here.
Click here to read more. Rare 1830 Wall Mural Discovered
 Nancy Smoak at the Rufus Porter Museum in Bridgeton, Maine, called to tell us about recently uncovered murals at a home in Hebron, Maine. When a couple bought their home two years ago, they knew it had a long history, being told it was built about 1850. With winter coming on, they decided to remove the inside plaster walls from the outer walls in their front dining room to add insulation. To their surprise, they discovered painting beneath the wallpaper. The museum attributed the artwork to Orison Wood, a student of Rufus Porter.
Click here to read more. Freezing Foods in the South While freezing foods for short or longer term preservation was more common in the colder regions of the colonies/states, it was both possible and accomplished by Virginia housewives and even those living farther south. There are many records of ice pits, caves, and ice houses on larger estates and farms in the South. The principle of an ice house is fairly simple. A deep pit is dug into the ground and covered with a small above ground structure for access. Some pits were as deep as 18 feet. The pit is then filled with large blocks of ice cut from frozen ponds and rivers in the winter months. By digging into the ground the temperature is naturally lower all through the year. The ice was insulated with sawdust and salt hay, which separated the layers and filled the spaces between pieces. People in northern Virginia could harvest ice themselves. River plantation houses often dug ice pits near the river. Those living in states farther south would need to purchase ice that had been shipped from New England.
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