epiy yy ions Toke cae hae et ae nee Ra op 5 ee Yok Sy tRee Oe — eee we weet en esha fes una eE ctecad Sender ¥ rede 44 Mpreery ial e me ae. Taking ere ere wire ee cnfiet-teaite sees eae a Tg ate 3 eet = As Ps . a : - as - . ss Roatedcbag ra : eke . Aaa tel dpa on ee? ; palit eee TS SS X ; Seoatasee arama a oan dd 3 ore Sees - “ ~ : cs aoe ered PE * Ser oe en Tae ap abe ASF . aw ae me tn: aa . ~, ea eS = Say ee ee ae ‘eo e=7 ~~ eee eS Ss € ee ede en ae Pi il . eee O : oe | - So : ; ES ; 2 | a BES : pee | , | : Bee. | | moe — ey ee Steger - ey . oe Door of Mission House Stockbridge Mass. 1740 ks sdienee 3 Wage Rene sels 0G, ew,” ony EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON ALBERT H.SONN WITH THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY PLATES FROM DRAWINGS BY THE AUTHOR VOLUME I “Not as idle ore, but as iron dug from ’ 24 - central gloom .. . to shape and use. —TENNYSON. ST CLEMEN PATRON OF THE BLACKSMITHS CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS NEW YORK 1928 v MEL ; Pat, ’ , a ea rs ts fi + er sir & ‘ “ . * 4 , *, q ‘ Ks 4,4; 4 4 } * ie Pe ‘ rey, ; + : : ‘ + ‘ cy ” CopyricHrt, 1928, BY CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS Printed in the United States of America { TO THE MEMORY OF MY DEAR WIFE ELIZABETH TRUE COMPANION AND HELPMEET ; THIS WORK IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED s 4 5 - . ‘ - 7 s 1; ' * i : ACKNOWLEDGMENTS all who have so generously aided me in collecting the material for these volumes. They have taken me in their cars to places difficult of access; they have given of their time, knowledge, and skill. Though I was often a stranger they took me in, sharing their treasures with me, and setting me in the way of making new finds. Their friendly cooperation has considerably short- ened my task and made it easier and more pleasant. Their number is legion, and the space so limited that it permits the special mention of only a few who gave most signal aid. The unfailing interest and helpful criticism of Mr. J. B. Carrington during the compilation of these pages have been a constant source of en- couragement, and much of the credit for the completion of the book in its present form is due to him. A large measure of thanks is also due to Henry C. Mercer, Sc.D., Presi- dent and Curator of the Museum of the Bucks County Historical Society at Doylestown, Pa., for his many courtesies. Mr. J. Frederick Kelly, A. I. A., of New Haven, Conn.; Mr. Hervey P. Clark, of Santa Barbara, Calif.; and Mr. E. Irving Couse, N. A., of Taos, N. Mex., have been more than kind in allowing the use of their personal sketches and notes. I am indebted to Mr. George W. Johnson, photographer, of Charleston, S. C., for a deal of valuable information and many practical suggestions. For permission to make drawings of wrought-iron articles in their pri- vate collections special thanks are due to: Mr. W. E. Irving, New York City; Mr. Francis C. Mireau, Doylestown, Pa.; Messrs. W. B. and W. E. Montague, Norristown, Pa.; Mr. and Mrs. William E. Bailey, Harrisburg, Pa.; Mrs. J. Insley Blair, Tuxedo, N. Y.; Mr. Henry F. du Pont, South- ampton, L. I.; Mr. Newton D. Lockwood, Plainville, Conn.; Mr. George Dudley Seymour, New Haven, Conn.; Mr. Henry W. Erving, Hartford, { vii } T is a genuine pleasure to express here my sincere gratitude to ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Conn.; Colonel Henry D. Paxson, Philadelphia, Pa.; Mr. Myron S. T eller, a Ringctoe N. Y.; Mr. Henry Ford, Sudbury, Mass. — of Bucks County Historical te Museu Mr. Albert C. Bats, 9 yf Connecticut Historical Society, ees Conn.; Mr. Edwin ae S Morgan Memorial Nea Harehed. Conn.; Mr. Henry W. | : the Essex Institute, Salem, Mass.; Mr. Reolerick C. King, As: rator of the Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia; Mr. Hens Curator of the Pilgrim Society Museum, Plymouth, Mass.; Mr. Wood, Dartmouth Museum, New Bedford, Mass.; Miss Laura Charleston Museum, Charleston, S. C.; Mrs. George Sheldon, | Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield, Mass.; Massachusetts Hist Society, Boston, Mass.; Captain Wm. B. Clark, Bostonian Society, B Mass.; Mr. Wm. Wallace Lunt, Hingham, Mass.; Hingham Histori ciety, Hingham, Mass.; Mr. J. Vaughn Dennett, Fiaimingkawe Ernest E. Rogers, New London County Historical Society, N Conn.; New Haven Colony Historical Society, New Haven, Cc Histovicd! Society, Quincy, Mass.; Medford Historical Society Mass.; Miss Mary D. Hutchins, of the Litchfield Historical Sc field, Mass.; Mr. Howard M. Chapin, Rhode Island Historic Providence, R. I.; Newport Historical Society, Newport, R. L; Wall, New York Plisestices Society, New York City; Doctor State Museum, Newburgh, N. Y.; Mr. Wm. Henry Shelton, C Mansion, New York City; Long Ted Historical Society, Brox New Jersey Historical Society, Newark, N. J.; Trenton Histo Old Barracks, Trenton, N. J.; Bichnaes County Historical $ lington, N. J.; Bergen County Historical Society, Hackens Pennsylvania Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pa.; Site and ciety, Germantown, Pa.; Berks County Historical heirs € St. Augustine Pistosica! Society, St. Augustine, Fla.; Mr. Sellers, Philadelphia, Pa.; Mr. Joseph Everett Chandler, Mr. Samuel Lapham and ‘Mr Albeee Simmons, Chaseonant David M. Ach, New York City; Mr. William Gedney Beatty [ viii } ACKNOWLEDGMENTS City; Mr. James Lord Pratt, Essex, Conn.; Mr. W. W. Taylor, Sudbury, Mass.; Doctor H. C. Rondthaler, President, Salem College, Winston-Salem, N. C.; Reverend Wm. Vogeler, Nazareth, Pa.; Mrs. George L. Meyers, Historian of the Moravian Church, Bethlehem, Pa.; Mr. Benjamin O. Eg- gleston, Brooklyn, N. Y.; Mr. Westcott Burlingame, Albany, N. Y.; Mr. Cuyler Reynolds, City Historian, Albany, N. Y.; Mr. J. Stogdell Stokes, Philadelphia, Pa.; Mr. Randolph R. Urich, Myerstown, Pa.; Mr. L. J. Gil- bert, Lebanon, Pa.; Mr. F. D. Britton, West Chester, Pa.; Mr. Clayton Musselman, Ephrata, Pa.; Mr. Charles Stauffert, Norristown, Pa.; Mr. S. D. Gibson, West Hurley, N. Y.; Doctor O. S. Watrous, Middletown, Conn.; Mr. and Mrs. Weldon Roberts, Montclair, N. J.; Mr. and Mrs. D. A. Rowe, East Orange, N. J.; Mr. and Mrs. Harold E. Fritts, Hudson, N. Y.; Mr. and Mrs. Wm. L. MacRae, Syracuse, N. Y.; Mr. Peter F. Campbell, Stam- ford, Conn.; Mr. Elmer D. Zimmerman, Monterey, Pa.; Mr. S. H. P. Pell, Fort Ticonderoga, N. Y.; Victoria and Albert Museum and Geffrey Mu- seum, London. It is only fair to my daughter, Ione M. Sonn, to acknowledge here her pertinent advice and efficient assistance in the organization and seemingly endless revision entailed in the preparation of these volumes. We are also grateful for the help and inspiration afforded by the books and articles consulted in the course of our study, a representative list of which appears at the end of Volume III. In all cases where these have been specifically quoted from we have tried to give full credit, any omission being purely inadvertent and due to the handling of the vast amount of detail,in these volumes. jag Casita AEN Mippte Happam, Conn. [ix J ; 3 S ; rs : , . ie i ‘ ier FOREWORD N the introduction to his “English Iron-Work of the XVIIth and XVIIIth Centuries,” J. S. Gardner laments that “though these [speci- mens of iron-work] are talked about, and sketched, and photographed, neither their relative rarity, or dates, nor the names and characteristics of the artists who produced them are known.” He might have written this with equal truth of American wrought iron during that period. Indeed, save for the immortal lines of the poet Longfellow, “the village black- smith” has received but little recognition. And until quite recently even less attention was given to the genuine artistic merit of his productions. It was to help in some measure to supply this lack that these volumes were undertaken. The searcher for authentic data about the early colonial smiths and the things they made is confronted with discouraging difficulties. In the first place the blacksmith, unlike other metal-workers, rarely if ever signed or dated his productions, nor did he publish a_record of his designs. Such signatures and records would be a great ‘aid in dating specific examples, as- signing them to correct locality and maker, and in discovering the greater artists among the smiths who produced them. Then, too, the references to this subject that occur in contemporary records, letters, diaries, ledgers, histories, and the like are few and meager. At best they merely name the smiths in a particular district, or list the hardware and sometimes its prices, or comment sadly on the high cost of having ironwork made. But in only the rarest instances, as, for example, some of the gates and grilles in Charleston, S. C., do we know who made a specific piece. And in such cases the work is often of a period well along in the eighteenth century. It is not even safe to assume that the wrought-iron hardware on an early colonial home is contemporaneous with the date when the house was built. On many of these old houses one finds latches of various vintages, { xi } FOREWORD and a careful scrutiny often yields evidences of alterations and replace- ments in the shape of telltale cusp marks, lift-openings, nail-holes, and so forth. ‘“Restorers” have also been known to install hardware just because it was old, regardless of whether it was true to the type in general use in that district and during the period to which the house beens In thie agrees “in period style” where the i elclee is manifestly of French —a fine reproduction of its kind, but not truly representative of the local To depend on the memory of the oldest inhabitant for accurate inforr tion is also in many cases to lean on a very weak reed, as the following cident aptly illustrates: A delightfully kind and gracious New E D. A. R., who confessed to having enjoyed the sunshine of more than summers, had permitted the sketching of several fine eighteenth latches in her charming ancestral home. ‘“‘And now since you are terested,” she confided after seeing the drawings, “I’m going to ¢ what is really the finest latch in the house, and the very oldest, th h Ww don’t often let outsiders see it.”” Happily conscious of spec an unusu ing stairs. ““My oe used to lift me up ules I was just by girl, so I could see and admire this latch,” ae was so proud of it.” What finally met the eye on that ences attic dc was a highly ornate cast-iron latch of 1845 or later, as we ine succee believed that showy latch to Ber as old as her chiar asthe ey Indifference and sheer lack of appreciation for the value and b this early wrought iron have until quite recently been so icone complete that many fine examples have been consigned to the junk he irretrievably lost. Early in our search for material for these volui owner of a fine old Dutch colonial home in Bergen County, New J swered our usual inquiry as to the existence of any old wrought-ir or hinges on his house with a rueful smile and a slow negative nod. friend,” he said, “you are just about two years too late. There v latches on all the doors, but my wife kept complaining that they her dresses and tore them, and scratched and bruised her as she She kept saying she didn’t see why we couldn’t have up-to-date. ct things like other people. So I finally got tired of hearing her fuss abo them, and about two years ago we tore out all the old latches, jun { xii } FOREWORD and put in modern ones. I’m sorry, but there’s not one of them left.” Needless to say, experiences like this made one all the more anxious to record for the edification and enjoyment of future generations such speci- mens as are still in existence, whether on old buildings, in museums, in pri- vate collections, or among the treasure-trove of dealers in antiques. These volumes are an attempt to compile such a record, making it as accurate and representative as possible. They lay no claim to being “lit- erature,” but do endeavor to bring to the attention of the lover of good craftsmanship the pleasing variety of design, the artistic conception and beauty of workmanship displayed in early American wrought iron. Such facts about it and its makers as could be gleaned were also included, but they were so fugitive, so often conflicting or even impossible to get, that occasionally one was forced to substitute conjecture or personal opin- ion. These are, however, the result of sincere conviction after earnest study and comparison. _. Where feasible, measurements are given and the individual drawings are as a rule in proportion. The articles are also classified and dated as accurately as possible. They were gathered and drawn up on plates over a considerable period of years, so there are a few cases where figures appear- ing on the same plate are not of the same class. It would be quite impossible in a general treatment like this to go into the subject exhaustively in each section of the colonies, or to do full jus- tice to districts as rich in fine examples of the craft as those in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Charleston, and New Orleans. The specimens shown are those typical of the various localities, or rare, or unusual in design. The few foreign examples inserted from time to time were included either as proof of the European inspiration of some of our native pieces, or to help identify some that may come to light. There are doubtless many such merely waiting discovery. It is gratifying and encouraging to note a genuine revival of interest in early American wrought iron, as is evidenced by the keen bidding at dealers’ sales and by the increasing number and scope of private collections. Per- haps it is not too much to hope that the time is not far off when these col- lections will be suitably housed in the museums of the country, and so be- come available and more easily accessible to an increasingly appreciative public. As a result of this Renaissance there are springing up throughout the country studios and workshops of skilled and serious-minded craftsmen { xiii } FOREWORD with the high ideals of the ancient guild, conn to metal to suit an intelligent and growing clientele. Unfortunately, there are other “craftymen,’’ who > tage of the i increasing popular demand, and are reproducing ‘ pieces,’ ’ and foisting them on a gullible public a top prices. 1 ering” in most of these faked antiques is general. ly crudely Jone, | and the so-called “hand hammering” and “antique chasing easy for an experienced and discriminating eye to buyer need not be taken in. ; Axiv CONTENTS AND PLATES VOLUME I Door of the Old Mission House, Stockbridge, Mass. . . . Frontispiece CHAPTER I: EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON UP TO 1850 PAGE Peerernigronyeor tne Industry. le ee ae ona ea 3 USES OA) ROLE SGI ECE CO Deane Gey Oe) ey ee 6 pretieaticncot Marly Wrought Iron. Designs ~ (4) 2. . 0 ie 9 SePEREOPETSOTI PACK BURNIT NG Rte te Fer ef Me ake em Sa go LET Old Smith's Forge. -. oe eee Late >t Early American Anvils af Bickerns Plate 2 CHAPTER II: EARLY AMERICAN DOOR HARDWARE Wooden Forerunners TOES eee itn aaa egies elmer a seye <7 String Latch, Hinge, ia Boirs eRe ee ES? Other Latches, and Shutter Bar . . Plates 4 and § Wrought Iron Door Hardware: Locally Made, or Imported from England . 18 Wrought Iron Knockers . . Ge ah nian Sig eer eo ae ars Cen oar OL American and European Tyneh ss ,d lates 6-12 Knocker MAES ER WAP cnn > ened, ee al ee Me RS oe, ML eS. E nT NPCS. ol bo ae eg OES DSers Rive Laviand Types oa a | Plates A630 General Description of a Wrought Iron Door Latch . . . . . . . 23 meresorvrought iron Latches) pin Scale ores ee eRe ieee Na a oe Bre reeiecth Lat LatChey sa nels a eee ae ee MRE Lak re es OA PAPIOUSA ANDES Sucdl ie -Pc a t een os ie ee Late g s { xv } CONTENTS AND PLATES Suffolk one i ss an a ss. bet ne — ey ArrowsHead Patter: Weis a san Plates PDs 52, 535 65, ee Ball and Spear Pattern . . . . Plates 38, 50, 51, 55, 58 Swordfish Type eo en hae go A tas Ob Swivel Lift . . . sa ea oe ee Renae 4597495 545 56,63, 65y84-Bo Ball, Crescent, and § gear os) aaah Cee Re ea PinesTree Patertt i. nn) igo ee ee See i a ae Tobacco-Leaf Pattern ~ 20 0 =. - Plate Oe Lo ee Bean Types. . . . . . . . Plates 36, 54, 63, 64 ek Heart Motifa 00 Fp OE EE wae fa Lulip Motifs Oo NEO a ae ee eG 70, 75 Cockshead Pattern: $03 ° 0 5 Peas ic 80, 83, roe, Lyte Patter: ei oe Re ee Farmington Type . . . . Plates 43, 44. East Haddam, Conn., District Ty pes . Plates 45-48 = Dominating Upper Cusp . . . . Plates 58, 68-80, 85 Single Cusp. . » » Phades 81-83 et Transition from Fash a Lock Types - Platds 63-555 Norfolk and Suffolk Swivel Lift . . Plate ° Norfolk Larches’yi As Sg ae Mines cae = me Barly: Lyped OU 2 aoe ag ie ane Plates pe Sas Eater Types ego ee ey AER GOSGE Ta Early Type Cast-Iron Linehes Se aie eg ae ce : Development of Lifts and Bars . . . . . . myrtle Thumb-Presses or “Strikers” . . . Plate 93 Latch Catches 2 0. Sgn 4 eM Latch Bars. 6 te ree Latch-Locks'; 7,0 3 3 ee Various Types Ota en eee Plates San xa Locks . hae di Hastration pon Moxon’ $ “ Mechanick Bsercises ore TE Op Rg Se REG RE hace Fale acetone | Types:of Lacki ic 6 Se ae Plates 106-10 Lock Escutcheons 0 0S eo 108-1 Door-Pulls and Escutcheon. . . Rivas IES: ’ fr * Ritts , CHAPTER GL EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON UP TO 1850 BRIEF HISTORY OF THE INDUSTRY one of the many natural resources of the American colonies. As early as 1585 the Raleigh expedition discovered iron ore on Roanoke Island, N. C., and in 1608 some bog ore was actually exported to England from Jamestown, Va. There was rock ore, too, for Morton speaks of the exist- ence of “iron stone” in New England in 1632. But bog and pond ore supplied the metal for most of the earliest iron articles wrought in the colonies, and was extensively used until the eighteenth century. Bog ore has been most ably described by J. Starkie Gardner (“ Iron- work,” Part I, p. 7) as follows: a “Tron ores are indeed still forming by land and sea, but most rapidly in still water. In the shallow parts of the Swedish lakes a stratum of 4 to 6 inches is deposited in 5 to 30 years, constituting one of the chief supplies of the famous Swedish iron. “{Iron] dissolved from the soil, on coming into contact with carbonic and other acids produced by decaying vegetation, is extensively precipi- tated in stagnant waters as limonite or bog iron, the action being denoted by the occasional rise of bubbles of carbonic acid and a thin film on the surface. Iron pans or crusts so often found at the bottom of peats and gravels are produced in this way and were extensively smelted by the Romans, while in Canada ores of recent origin are still largely used at the present day.” For the smelting of iron an adequate wood supply was a very potent factor. ‘‘Let it be known to those who know it not,” says Moxon in his quaint “Mechanik Exercises,” published in London in 1694 or earlier, “that iron is by a violent Fire melted out of hard stones called Iron Stones; of these Iron Stones many countries have a great plenty. But because it wasts such great quantities of Wood to draw Iron from them, it will not in many Places quit cost to use them.” “Great quantities of wood”’ in the 13] |: will be perhaps a surprise to many to learn how soon iron proved to be EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON dense forests at their very doors gave our early iron-workers a decided ad- vantage in this respect. And of course later on there was coal as well, the use of which seems to have been confined solely to smiths’ forges until about 1808. Prior to the introduction of the machine era of the nineteenth century there was little difference in the methods of fashioning wrought iron. The crude charcoal methods of the Middle Ages were still in general use. In- deed, a hand-wrought nail recently picked up in the Roman Forum, where some excavating had unearthed it, proved on comparison so like one taken from an old house of the year 1724 in Wethersfield, Conn., that they might well have been wrought by the same hand, despite the difference of a thou- sand years and more in their ages. Massachusetts seems warranted in claiming the establishment of the first successful colonial iron-works at Saugus Center, near Lynn, about 1685, though there had been a previous venture at Falling Creek, Va., in 1621, ending in failure because the buildings were destroyed in an Indian massacre before iron could actually be produced. The operating company at Saugus was granted rights to manufacture cast-iron pots and other wares “on condition that the inhabitants of this jurisdiction shall be fur- nished with all sorts of barr iron for their use—not exceeding 20£ per ton.” The price of the product is certainly interesting, and perhaps some of this “barr iron” was used in making wrought-iron hardware in that section. During the latter part of the seventeenth century attempts at estab- lishing iron-works seem to have been quite general in all the colonies wher- ever bog ore was discovered. But it was not until the mid-eighteenth century that the industry was really firmly established. New York and Connecticut were evidently sending iron to England as early as 1748, for a Swedish traveler in America at that time wrote of hay- ing seen it as cargo on outbound ships. Before 1768 good iron, produced by Hasenclever at Charlottenburg, N. J., was also being shipped to Eng- land. Manufactured articles must have found their way to the mother country, too, for contemporary records show that British manufacturers, while quick to claim superiority in producing the smaller and finer nails, admitted the excellence of American-made spikes, bolts, and large nails. In fact, the American iron industry at that time must have been suf- ficiently vigorous to arouse the fears of the British manufacturers. For in- stead of encouraging it as so many of the influential men in the colonies urged, it seems to have been the settled policy of the home government to restrain it in every possible way. In 1747, for example, a Col. Joseph Pitkin had [4] i." eo oe PST Ores) succeeded in getting the right to set up an iron slitting-mill in East Hart- ford, Conn., only to have the British Parliament prohibit this and other colonial iron-works in the decree of 1750. Sheffield did its best to have a decree passed prohibiting the importation of American iron in 1757. And that very year Birmingham, while she clamored for our iron on the ground that England produced only half enough for the home trade, succeeded in having the erection of American slitting and rolling mills prohibited.* In spite of this systematic opposition and restraint on the part of the mother country, the American iron industry was able to supply iron equip- ment for the patriot army during the war for independence. The follow- ing excerpt from the proceedings of the Connecticut General Assembly in December, 1776 (“Records of the State of Connecticut,” vol.I), shows what one colonial foundry was doing to help the cause: “Whereas it is of greatest importance for the safety and defense of this, the United States of America, that the foundery of cannon should be continued at Salisbury, and in order thereto that some proper persons should be appointed to procure wood and coal and other materials for that purpose— “Resolved by this assembly that Mr. Benjamin Henshaw be and is hereby appointed and directed to repair forthwith to Salisbury and apply to Col. Joshua Porter, manager of said foundery, and afford him all the as- sistance in his power.” Fifty men were kept at work there for four or five years, often under guard for fear of capture by raiding British troops, and quantities of mor- tars, cannon, swivel guns, hand-grenades, camp-kettles, and other neces- sities were made and widely distributed. One of the most interesting things made by American iron-works during those dark days was the famous chain that spanned the Hudson to prevent Lord Howe’s fleet from passing West Point. According to Swank, Los- sing, and other authorities, the ore for this chain was mined in Orange County, N. Y. It was forged at the Stirling Iron Works in that county, carried in sections to West Point, and put in place—the 180 tons of it— in May, 1778. See Plate 320, Vol. III. General Washington and his staff are said to have visited John: Jacob Faesch, regarded as one of New Jersey’s greatest ironmasters and most loyal citizens, to negotiate for some army equipment during the war for independence, and like instances could doubtless be cited in other of the * See foot-note, Plate 83, Figure 4—reference to similar action on the part of French manufacturers. [5] EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON struggling colonies. It will perhaps not come amiss to note here that George Washington’s own father was a manufacturer of pig iron at Ac- cokuck Furnace, Va., and that Lincoln’s Massachusetts ancestor was also tz engaged in the iron industry near Hingham. Colonial iron-workers manufactured cast-iron articles, faintinentenaae : spikes, “‘gunnes,” anchors, nails,* and the like. For making the best nails Ficure I. Odd nails re various dates previous to 1776. 4) Ficure 2. ““Mushroom” spike removed from a beam in an old house dated af Ralph Burnham, Ipswich, Mass. Ficure 3. Old nails of the early “finishing” t type, with narrow head. Ficure 4. Early hand-made tacks measuring about 44” and 4%” r i . Erving of Hartford, Conn, found them in the Stretchers an old neelework about 1800, and describes them as “the smallest wrought tack I arioncake I saw some similar at one time on a hornbook.” *In his article, ‘The Dating of Old Borate hen Mercer, Curator of the Bucks County Historical Socie Mechanical Dictionary” on tack-making, as isllowss tacks from sheet metal and Se, (date not The description of the making of a nail in made from recta r strips of malleable iron, several rods, which were furnished to bao blacksmith or nailer, who 16] Lebel, Oboe Russian and Swedish bar iron was generally used, though the native prod- uct was evidently not scorned. One George Megee, of Philadelphia, ad- vertising in the Pennsylvania Gazette of July, 1731, that he “maketh and selleth all Sorts of Nails,” specifically states that ““They are made of this Country Iron.” * Skilled farmer “‘nailers” also worked at this trade during the long win- ter months of partial idleness, and prisoners were also thus employed, as the old prison records of institutions like Newgatet in East Granby, Conn., and Bridewell in New York prove, viz., this from the minutes of the Com- mon Council of New York for December 3, 1788 (p. 419): “ * * * and also that the Commissioners provide the necessary tools and erect two forges for the manufacturing of Nails by the Vagrant and other Prisoners from time to time confined in Bridewell.”’ Some idea of what a late eighteenth-century “Nail Manufactory and Smith Works” in the colonies was like may be gleaned from the following notice in the New York Yournal and Patriotic Record for April 2, 1791 (from the files of the New York Historical Society): ? TQ "BE SOLD Or Exchanged for Property in the Country, on advantageous Terms. THAT well known Nail Manufactory and Smith Works, No. 22 Cherry street, now in compleat repair with tools and im- plements sufficient to employ 28 workmen—These works are so well known and established, that the proprietor may, with propriety assert that his nails have a more universal circula- tion than any others manufactured in America. Any person willing to purchase the above works, and employ the hands now at work, will be enabled to keep up the credit of this manufactory as is now established. And the subscriber as- sures the public that the business bears a more flattering pros- pect than it ever has since its commencement. As he wishes to enter in a line of business more retired is his only motive for disposing of the same. For further particulars apply to the subscriber on the premises— PPy P Jacos Foster. *From a brochure published by the Pennsylvania Museum, Philadelphia. { See foot-note on Plate 78. [7] EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON . N.B. If the above works are not sold by the 1st of April next, they will then be Let on moderate terms, together with the house in front. There was a period during the general confusion and disorganization that followed the close of the Revolutionary War when our native ee tries were in eclipse and more than the usual amount of products, includin iron and i ironware, were imported. Old account books, pone ce torical oe Anthony Ackley At the Sign of the Golden Mill Saw, No. 7 Broad Street Has JUST IMPORTED An Addition To His Usual Stock of Hardware, Ironmongery ham and Cutlery Consisting of the Following Articles, Viz. ee Window Glass, 4d nails, Spades and Shovels, sheet lead ar sheet iron, Smoothing Irons, long and short handle fryit pans, tin plates in boxes, brass and iron wire, shovels and tot mill, hand, crosscut and tenant saws, bellows, brass and i candiedena: cutloe and barlow penknives, ivory bone, buck-handle knives and forks, iron squares, pa gimb and tenant sawfiles, ivory and hor combs; ge ag hee ed screws, brass knob and thumb latches, locks of " sorts, brass" is and iron window pulleys etc. etc. etc. in the course of the debate on the ievvies of a ieee imposed ‘Se “We had then (1783) but few manufactures among us, and t h quantities of goods that flowed in upon us from Europe at the co the war rendered those few almost useless.”* — * (See Annals of Congress—First Session—April, 1789.) The very fact that Cee. hard at work indicates the extent of these importations, as well as the revival and increase of J A factures. [8] UP TO 1850 From those first gallant attempts at producing iron and ironware in prac- tically every settlement in the colonies the industry went on developing in spite of obstacles during the colonial and subsequent periods, until it became one of the most important in the country. The great industrial era of the nineteenth century brought in its train the machine-cut nail, the machine-pointed screw, the cast-iron latch and lock and hinge, etc., which gradually displaced the hand-wrought articles of the earlier period. In the scramble for cheapness and volume of production artistry was forgotten, and monotony and commonplaceness and over- elaboration prevailed. The practical mind of the mechanic gives little thought to decoration. Too often, as the well-known architect Pugin says, “‘ornaments are actually constructed, instead of forming the decoration of construction, to which in good taste they should always be subservient.” He also points out that “the construction itself should vary with the material employed, and the designs should be adapted to the materials in which they are executed.” If the modern iron-workers carried out these two fundamental principles of only decorating construction, and of adapting structure and design to ma- terials used, we should be spared much of the ugliness of the present so- called “‘Venetian” and “Florentine” ironwork. It would, however, be unjust as well as untrue to brand all our mod- ern ironwork as hopelessly inartistic. One has only to examine some of the gates, balconies, railings, and other iron accessories on a number of our recently built homes, commercial and public structures, to be impressed with a very gratifying revival of the old high standards. Who knows but that we are entering on a renaissance that will perhaps surpass even the best of what has gone before ? DERIVATION OF EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT-=-IRON DESIGNS Strictly speaking, there is little if anything in the field of early American wrought iron that one might justly claim as being distinctly American, that is, of being characteristically indigenous or novel in design and execution. Before the discovery and colonization of America by Europeans, the use of iron seems to have been unknown to the Indians generally, though those in Mexico were using gold, silver, and copper. This is doubtless due to the fact that, as McCulloch states, ‘iron though most common, is the most dif- ficult of all metals to obtain in a state fit for use; and the discovery of the method of working it seems to have been posterior to the use of gold, silver [9] EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON and copper.” We show a few pieces made by the Indians of the Southwest, but they are at best hybrids and not “‘of the soil.” See Plate 163, Vol. II. Instead of finding ironwork of Indian manufacture and design, there is evidence that the colonists-instructed the native Americans in its use. In — “O’Callaghan’s Documentary History of New York” there is a letter from =» — Colonel William Johnson to Governor Clinton, dated August 10, 1748, in which he says: 5 eee “T have agreed with a Smith etc., to go to the Senecas for 6 months fe £70, but there is no bellows there worth a pin, so cannot tell how to do that case. I believe I can get all the rest of the Smiths at the same pr but they are desirous to know how they are paid.” There are also warrants and allowances to Colonel Johnson “for ¢ furnished the Smiths sent among the Indians in 1750 and 1751.” again in August, 1769, Johnson writes to Lord Hillsboro: “When we assembled the Senecas began with a long tale of what called grievances. ... That they could not do without Smiths, se their arms and other implements used in hunting.” tom was rarely deviated from save as an cece ea occasion pee The Dutch settlers in New York, New Jersey, and elsewhere left 1 handiwork of the contemporary English smiths. A little exploring Pennsylvania German towns will reveal many replicas of the art as in the German Palatinate of two or more centuries ago. — In northern New York, and in Vermont, New Hampshire, ant one still sees an occasional reminder that this district was originall French domination. Evidence of the early French blacksmiths’ wo: out here and there in the form of a shapely old hinge, or in the subtle tur or twist of an andiron or latch or other bit of old wrought i iron. Sor interesting specimens have recently been unearthed in the old fortifi of both Crown Point (old Fort St. Frederic of the French, built j in and Ticonderoga (originally known as Forts Carillon and Vaudre in 1755-56). The traditional “Latin” lines of sixteenth and se century France and Spain are everywhere evident, too, in the i irom the Vieux Carré in old New Orleans. “ Many fine examples of wrought iron in Charleston, S. Ge were by Johnson or MacLeish, Thibaut, Justi, and Werner, or Ortman, [ 10 ] ze UR. TO, 1650 concrete example in one locality of the main sources—English, Latin, and German—of the early blacksmith’s art in this country. Early American wrought iron is therefore a sort of Salmagundian affair, a mixture largely British in character because British colonists generally predominated, but with a dash of the French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, and German to leaven the whole. EARLY AMERICAN BLACKSMITHS What manner of man was the blacksmith of those early days, and what did he actually make? Except in a few instances, history answers the question very meagerly, if at all. Even the tombstones in many of the ancient burial-grounds from New England to the land of Dixie yield few traces of these knights of the anvil. This inscription from a stone in old St. Paul’s churchyard in New York City, is typical of what one finds, and is one of the few that came to light: HERE LYES THE BODY OF JAMES DAVIS LATE SMITH TO THE ROYAL ARTILLERY WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE 17TH DAY OF DECEMBER 1769 AGED 39 YEARS BEHOLD AND SEE AS YOU PASS BY AS YOU ARE NOW SO ONCE WAS I AS I AM NOW SO YOU WILL BE PREPARE FOR DEATH AND FOLLOW ME ‘Tf the spirit of James Davis still lingers there or ever returns, one won- ders how it reacts to the familiar sound of iron on iron, as the tall modern skyscrapers that now surround that little plot of ground rear their mighty skeletons, one after another. That the smith sometimes came into this country as a bond-servant is evidenced by notices like the following from Bradford’s New York Gazette for June 10, 1728 (in the archives of the New York Historical Society in New York City): Advertisements The Ship Happy Return, is lately arrived at the City of New York, from Dublin, with Men and Women Servants: many of the Men are Tradesmen, as Blacksmiths, Carpenters, Weavers, {1 J EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON Taylors, Cordwainers, and other Trades, which Servants are to be seen on board the said Vessel, lying over against Mr. Reads Wharff, and to be disposed of by John S. and Joseph Read on reasonable terms. But he was often a full-fledged free citizen, for his name appears on the lists of burgers and freemen in the old civic records. Among the first to be so mentioned is a certain “‘Claes Pieterzen, Smith,” on the old New York list for April 18, 1657. And the 1670 census of male citizens in New- castle, Delaware, yields the name of one “Ellegert, the smith.” Both these men were obviously Dutch, as was only natural in settlements spon- sored by Holland. But early documents on file in the New York City Hall of Records give English names as well as Dutch, viz.: Samuel Phillips, Blacksmith, December 5, 1695. Burker Myndearts,* Blacksmith, January 23, 1696. John Cooley, Smith, August 23, 1698. Johannes Van Voorst, Blacksmith, August 23, 1698. John Peterson Melott, Blacksmith, September 6, 1698. Hendrik Bush, Blacksmith, September 6, 1698. Abram Van Aarnam, Blacksmith, September 6, 1698. Martin Beeckman, Blacksmith, September 6, 1698. John Breesteade, Blacksmith, February 3, 1699. John Bachan, Blacksmith, March 27, 1700. Joseph Hart, Blacksmith, May 27, 1702. Richard Steward, Blacksmith, May 27, 1702. Thomas Hews, Blacksmith, May 27, 1702. William Hall, Black- smith, May 30, 1702. Andrew Hannis, Blacksmith, August 5, 1707. William Brown, Blacksmith, October 11, 1710. William Bouquet, Black- smith, April 14,1713. Thomas Elde, Blacksmith, April 24, 1716. Ebenezer Mors, Blacksmith, April 24,1716. Abraham Price, Blacksmith, June 4, 1717. There must have been a goodly number of anvils ringing in the New York of the early seventeen hundreds, for this by no means scanty list in- cludes only citizen smiths. And doubtless conditions there were typical of all the larger towns in the colonies. Now and then we stumble on such isolated facts as, for example, that Griswell and Parkes appear in the records as “contractors” for the iron- work on the house to be built “‘for the ministry” in New London, Conn. (See Miss Caulkin’s “History of New London,” pp. 99-100); or that the town of Hartford gives one Joseph Nash, “probably a smith,” liberty to set up a shop on the town land in 1671 (see “Records of the Connecticut His- * In the old records of Newburgh, N. Y., appears the following: . . . “and the ninth lot to one Burgher Min- dertse, a blacksmith who had purchased the right of one of the said Palatines;” probably the same smith who had gone to the later settlement seeking newer fields. {12 } EP er OF1so0 torical Society,” vol. VI, p. 164); or that one James Scrawley, Blacksmith, owns a plating forge and tilt hammer at Waywayanda, N. Y., in 1751. But when we seek further knowledge—as to whether Griswell and Parkes were blacksmiths or just merchants; or whether Nash and Scrawley actually made any of the hardware in their respective districts, and if so, what and when—all is veiled from us by the mists of time. ; Occasionally, too, stray references in the various old local periodicals give us little tantalizing indications of the activities of the early smiths and the part they played in the economic life of their day. This one from the American Magazine for July 9, 1788 (in the files of the New York Historical Society), opens up several interesting veins of speculation, not the least of them being the reason for the meeting it advertises: Notice All White and Black-Smiths in the City of New York are re- quested to meet at the City Tavern Tomorrow Evening at 6 o’clock. It will be remembered in this connection that a blacksmith is one who works in iron with a forge, and that a whitesmith works in white metal (as a tin or silversmith), or is a finisher or galvanizer of iron. Another item culled from an old newspaper in the archives of the New York Historical Society describes the celebration in honor of the adoption of the Constitution by New Hampshire at Portsmouth, on July 3, 1788. Of special interest to us is the PROCESSION BAND OF MUSIC IN AN OPEN COACH AND SIX HORSES, DECORATED HUSBANDMEN A PLOW DRAWN BY NINE YOKE OF OXEN A MAN SOWING A HARROW REAPERS, THRESHERS, MOWERS, HAYMAKERS EACH WITH THEIR PROPER IMPLEMENT A MAN SWINGLING FLAX A CART FOR GATHERING IN HARVEST BLACKSMITHS AND NAILERS, WITH THEIR FORGES, ANVILS AND SLEDGES AT WORK SHIPWRIGHTS WITH THEIR TOOLS CAULKERS ETC. {13 ] EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON It will be noted that the blacksmiths rank second to those engaged in the various branches of agriculture, a significant indication of their impor- tance in the economic scheme at that time. In nearly all the early settlements one is able to find evidence that the town fathers realized. the necessity of encouraging smithcraft, even to the extent of making a special grant of land to the worker in iron, as the fol- lowing excerpt from the old records of Middletown, Conn., for April 16, 1663 illustrates: “george Durant allso doth ingage himself to be hear resident the next micelmus, insueing the deat hearof and allso to inhabit upon it and to do the towns worck of smithing during the tearm of four years befor he shall mac sale of it to any other.” * There is one curious incident described in the ‘‘Connecticut Colonial. Records,” vol. ‘I, pp. 81-102, that we cannot resist retelling here. It seems that one Thomas Hurlbut, known to his neighbors as “Naylor Tom,” was fined for overcharging. Oh, halcyon days when that could happen! But the court agreed to remit his fine if a fellow craftsman, Peter Bassaker, could not “make nayles with less losse and at as cheape a rate.” If Bas- saker succeeded, the court was to double Naylor Tom’s fine. The record does not say who won, but we do know that Hurlbut and Bassaker were at work in Hartford in 1643 Aside from the human interest of this story, it shows how closely the governing bodies in those days supervised the trades, as well as everything else, a point that is illustrated again and again in the old records. Miss Caulkins in her ‘History of New London,” pp. 99-100, speaks of a smith, William Cheeseborough, ‘‘who had settled at Wequetequok, and whom the General Court compelled to live in New London on account of their fear that he would mend guns for the Indians.”” Where was the freedom the colonists had come so far and at such peril to seek ? These early blacksmiths seem to have been very well paid, “for one is — >> ¢¢ mentioned,” says J. T. Scharff in his ‘‘History of Delaware,” “who with his negroes, by working up old iron at sixpence per pound, earned fifty shillings a day. All contemporary writers speak of heavy charges for smith’s work, though there was no horseshoeing to be done.” On the roll of honor for continuous business existence in the United States, a family of Connecticut blacksmiths heads the list. To James Lord Pratt, “the village smithy” of Essex, Conn., belongs the unique distinction * From “The History of Middlesex County, Conn.,” published by J. B. Beers & Co., N. Y. {14 } N ‘Ss Sota Yall ake - ‘1 AG aie te ATMO aes te een hy Ir PEP 8+ DOME ve ee ee ye UPST OVI G50 of carrying on the unbroken line founded there by his ancestor, John Pratt, in 1678. The line runs: John, Jr., 1726; Lieutenant John, 1744; Asa, 1756; John, 1811; Elias, 1827; Edwin, 1870; and finally Jim, as he is affectionately known to all and sundry in his native Essex. He is a worthy successor to worthy sires for “general jobbing, horse shoeing, and antique reproduc- tions,” as his billhead reads, and his peer is not easily found. To this Pratt family credit is perhaps due for much of the fine hardware on the older houses along the banks of the Connecticut and the shores of the Sound near by, though it is difficult to establish this fact from actual bills, letters, or other contemporary records. Still, an old attic in the neighborhood may some day give up its secrets and provide the needed proof. Through the courtesy of Mr. George Dudley Seymour, of New Haven, another interesting family of Connecticut blacksmiths, the Warners of the Hadlyme district, has been brought to light. In a letter answering Mr. Seymour’s inquiry about them Mr. F. H. Parker says: Joseph Warner, the first blacksmith of the name in East Haddan, | died in 1793. I never have been able to ascertain when he began working at his trade but as early as 1783 he had two blacksmith’s shops, one on his homestead upon the lot now I think belonging to Harry Strong, the shop being in the northwest corner of the lot at the corner of Town Street and the road running easterly at this point. The Hadlyme Shop was on a farm owned by Mr. Warner in Hadlyme’ and near the present dwelling house of Charles H. Rich. Sometime before 1791 he had transferred his home blacksmith shop to his son, Oliver War- ner, and his Hadlyme blacksmith shop to his son, Joseph Warner, Jr. The son Oliver Warner died in 1828 and probably kept up the blacksmith’s shop during his life. By his will he gave this property to his son, Orrin Warner, who did some blacksmithing until as late a date as 1860, but this black- smith shop was apparently never of great importance. Joseph Warner, Jr., continued blacksmithing in Hadylme until 1820 when he transferred the business to his son, Charles Warner. Charles Warner was an enterprising, manufacturing blacksmith. He made all sorts of edged tools and farm im- plements, and had a water power grind-stone nearby for grinding and pol- ishing his tools. He continued the business until 1842. This shop was an important enterprise until it was driven out of business by modern factory methods. Joseph Warner had another son, Ephraim Warner, who bought a black-_ [15] aie Dae aren S EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON smith shop also in Hadlyme in 1796 but discontinued it before 1800, when he opened a blacksmith shop in Millington near Millington Church. As to whether Joseph Warner or his son Oliver Warner, did any fine work in the blacksmith shop on Town Street, I have no information. They were in business there at a time when they may have made door latches for the old Congregational Church in Little Haddam, which was finished in 1794. I am sorry I can give you no further information. Ab Yours very truly, FH. Pa a We have it on the authority of Mr. R. Urich, of Myerstown, Pa., th Louis Bleichert, a Lebanon County blacksmith who recently died at t age of ninety-odd, also came of a long line of smiths. For years this ms kept the anvil ringing near the old Tulpohocken Church, as had his fz before him. So the Bleicherts are credited with many an interesting piece of “Pennsylvania Dutch” wrought iron in that locality. Swank inform us that Wyoming Valley, Pa., was settled by a colony of Connect ple and in 1768-69 two of them, brothers, by the name of Gore, v vh blacksmiths, were the first persons to use anthracite coal, using it in fire. In 1795 a blacksmith named Whetstone used anthracite coal Pottsville, while others attempting to use it abandoned it in disg But perhaps the most widely known of any of his fellow though he comes well toward the end of the wrought iron’ Elihu Burritt, “the wise blacksmith” of New Britain, Conn., honor a statue has recently been raised, facing the new high sc city. In 1827 he bound himself out to learn the trade, and he only a first-rate blacksmith, but an extraordinarily clever linguist mostly self-taught. He lectured extensively in England andi inA plying himself with funds whenever necessary by hard labor at where, in order to get more time for study, he did the work of two THE BLACKSMITH ; Old Song Oh the blacksmith’s a fine sturdy fellow, a Se Hard his hand but his heart’s true and mellow, See him stand there, his huge bellows blowing, == Fiery darts fall in showers all ’round, While the sledge on the anvil a-ringing, Fills the air with its loud clanging sound. [16] CHAPTER II EARLY AMERICAN DOOR HARDWARE . WOODEN FORERUNNERS 4 AO the lot of the pioneer fall many vexing problems of household economics. Being isolated from the source of supply, temporary expedients are often resorted to and for this reason we find many of the earliest American latches, hinges, bolts, etc., made of wood, the best available oak and hickory being used for this purpose. The quaint wooden latches consisted of three parts, or members, the latch-bar, the catch, or keeper, and the staple. In some instances, where service from both sides of the door was required, these were supplemented with an important extra member in the form of a string fastened to the bar and passed outside through a hole above it in the door. By pulling this string the bar could be raised and the door opened from without; hence the familiar phrase, “‘the latch-string is out’’—see Plate 3. Later a permanent member, the crudely fashioned thumb-press, displaced the string, and to this in time was added the grasp. The combining of these two with the swivel-pin arrangement gave us the original swivel latch, as on Plate 4. “Wooden latches also were commonly used in New England in the early days and on the outside door the catch was generally made by notching out the door post so that the latch fell into this notch when the door was closed and was held in position by the shoulder of the notch. The wooden latches that have survived vary greatly in workmanship and proportion in accordance with the taste and skill of the men who made them.” —Note by G. F. Dow to “Notes on Wrought-Iron Latches” by H. C. Mercer, D.Sc., in Old Time New England for January, 1923. The simple wooden bolts, hinges, et al., which are shown on the plates in this chapter, need no special comment. For wooden door-pulls, see Plate 115, the last plate in this volume. {17} EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON WROUGHT IRON DOOR HARDWARE LOCALLY MADE, OR IMPORTED FROM ENGLAND Whether forged by the colonial smith or the product of English fac- tories, nearly all of the early American hardware was hand-wrought, so it is dificult to judge from this general surface characteristic whether a speci- men was locally made or imported. There are little crudities, or slight modifications in the working out of the designs, however, that mark an ar- ticle at once as having been locally produced. It is reasonable to assume that in the more isolated and inland settle- ments much of the hardware was a local product. But as early as 1684, in the port districts, at least, hardware needs were evidently supplied by im- portations from England, judging from the ledger entries and advertise- ments of old colonial merchants. The accompanying specimen entries from the account-books of Paul Revere and the contemporary firm of Dawes & Coolidge (from the files of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, Mass.), for example, are interesting evidence not only of what was being haat emis hrs ay SYooo ats WoW ~ WwswQ e S tinge um From account-book of Dawes & Coolidge, Boston, Mass. {18 } a a os EARLY AMERICAN DOOR HARDWARE handled at that time by these importers, but also of the old names and prices of the articles. Indeed, if they were only a trifle more specific, or more of them could be examined, it might be established that many a piece of old wrought iron heretofore classed as one-hundred-per-cent American was “made in England”’ after all. Ss Y Lily lf’ to p47 a7 tty ; Pe: Deni eT aed en E CRN SEL FS aaa ies Veer ie a ne 7, a 6 Wo FL ~ ine - mame a Jaof 10 106 Jo 4 Obie dock She ee ee Ie 90 = Js pd oul rca tomshatheta.! 6. 6 ee ha res os ope 6 - : on — Bs ° : OA ae LETTS Jot raw LY. L°Yd Io tHtob Ky 4b ee SIP Fer be: F (5% tlf Ss ie po: kp cid ed eben e. 422 So fig” 10 VAG ret ; — a a 24/71 1g a From a page of Paul Revere’s ledger. [19 ] EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON It will be noted that Paul Revere enters “1 Iron Thumb Latch” and “1 Nob Latch” against the account of Dr. Lincoln, and ‘2 Ring Latches” as purchased by Dr. Hichborn. “Nob Latches” are also listed in the previ- ously cited advertisement of Ackley, and were probably of the type shown on Plate 99, Figure 1. The “Ring Latches” are doubtless what we now call knocker latches. Of course, the-names of Lincoln and Adams increase the general interest of these quaint pages, as do “‘ Dawes & Coolidge.” Other entries in Paul Revere’s ledger Dr. Simon Williard 1784 Item Aug 9 40 To Nails i=-§ Augig 42 ToH hinges 4 Dr. Edward Glover 1784 Dec 23 Item 61 To Tongs & Shovel Chimney hooks & dipper 16 4 Dr. Samuel Adams 1786 May 6 Item 117. To1 Door Lock 5 To 4 pair HL hinges gc To 2 thumb latches ae | Dr. Gilbert Dench 1787 Sept.t Item 95 To2 Latches Io 8 [ 20 ] EARLY AMERICAN DOOR HARDWARE Dr. Benj. Hichborn Esq. 1786 Jan. 6 106 To2 Ring Latches % ia * y Iron Thumb latch I TAG “* 2 Ring Latches % 7 “2 pair hinges % ig Nov. 6 126 “ “ “ dove tail hinges Dat WROUGHT IRON KNOCKERS The wrought-iron door-knocker never became as popular here as in European countries, though here and there some noteworthy examples are still to be found. ‘Their production must have been a source of keen satis- faction to their creators, and the fact that they have been so eagerly sought for by collectors and so prized by their present fortunate owners is warrant enough for their intrinsic value and artistic worth. The English, French, and Italian specimens included in the illustrations for this chapter are eloquent proofs of the foreign inspiration of the Amer- ican examples, the French lines of those from New Orleans in particular be- ing readily discernible. Note the delicacy of the chasing and the nice sense of proportion in these designs. There is a refinement about them almost out of keeping with the sturdy metal of which they are made. The knocker from the cloister at Ephrata, Pa., is a good example of the religious simplicity of taste and the stolid utilitarian proclivities of the early German Palatinate settlers in the domain of William Penn. Some- what similar in design but lighter in construction is the knocker on the door of the old Dutch house in West Hurley, near Kingston, N. Y. Or if one prefers a little more grace and delicacy in design there is one from Massachusetts that is sure to please. KNOCKER LATCHES The knocker latch, as its name implies, is a combination door-knocker and latch, serving both purposes equally well. It is a clever device of sim- ple construction, probably the invention of some unknown practically minded craftsman of the Middle Ages. Knocker latches are found in vari- ous forms in England, Holland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and other European countries. There seem to have been but two types of this ingenious latch used in the { 21 } EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON American colonies, and for means of identification we designate the one as the New England type and the other as the Dutch type. Strange as it may seem, we have never found a latch of the Dutch type in New England, but the New England type is occasionally met with in the other colonies. New England Type In both types the handle-grasps are similar in general form to those of a regular knocker, but instead of being firmly secured to the door in the usual manner, the grasp is suspended from the “eye”’ of a staple or pin, the ends of which have passed through both escutcheon plate and door. These staple ends are then thrust through a square hole in the bar at its axis and firmly attached to it by clinching. Thus by raising the knocker-grasp and giving it a turn to the right or left, the bar is released from the catch or keeper. The New England knocker latch is constructed in this way. Dutch Type The Dutch knocker latch is similar in general construction to the fore- going one but has an additional member, the cam. In this type of latch, the ends of the staple supporting the grasp are clinched to the cam instead of being secured directly to the bar itself. The same action of the grasp, a raise and turn, thrusts the cam against the bar and releases it from the catch or keeper as effectively as the thumb-press in the ordinary latch. The placement of the grasp and cam being much closer to the catch, the bar is released with less effort than is the case with the New England type—a de- cided improvement, particularly when adverse weather conditions tighten the door. These cams are found with both double and single action. The earlier forms have a single shank and work but one way, while the later ones have two shanks, the square-holed axis anchorage being centered, allowing either a left or a right hand turn for releasing the bar. The earliest-known specimen of the New England type is on the “In- dian Door,” dated 1698, in the museum of the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association at Deerfield, Mass. See Plate 16, Figures 1 and 2. The knocker latches on the restored Paul Revere House in Boston and those on the House ~ of Seven Gables in Salem, Mass., are replicas of this particular latch. A later and excellent specimen of this sort is on the door of the Balch House of Groveland, Mass., dated 1728, and now in the possession of the Haver- hill Historical Society. See Plate 17. { 22} ee emg + Sele | EARLY AMERICAN DOOR HARDWARE The Dutch or cam knocker latches are common to nearly all the old ‘ Dutch houses of New York and New Jersey. They are still to be found in good working order in the counties bordering the Hudson River and along the Mohawk Valley. In Scotia, N. Y.,* an excellent example of this type has been in use since 1658, and there is one in an old house in Greene County, N. Y., the early part of which, the owners claim, was built before 1686. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF A WROUGHT IRON DOOR-LATCH The ordinary door-latch is made up of two main groups, the front-latch group on one side of the door and the back-latch group on the reverse side. The front latch includes the handle or grasp, the escutcheon in some form depending on the type of latch, and the thumb-press or similar device for releasing the bar. The back latch consists of the bar (with pin serving as pivot for it), the staple, the catch, and the lift end of the thumb-press device. The handle is usually bowed and joined to an escutcheon plate. The thumb-press is round or ovate in form, generally flat but sometimes saucered, and so arranged that a downward thrust of the thumb releases the bar. The thumb-press is inserted through a hole mortised in the escutcheon plate. Usually the thumb-press shank was split horizontally for a short distance back of the plate, and the barb thus formed was bent down against the plate to keep it securely in place. But sometimes a dowel-pin was in- serted, and occasionally a primitive cog arrangement (see Plate 93) where the mortise was cut large enough to permit the placing of the thumb-press in position; then an ingenious swivel rest was pushed back and secured. The fully developed swivel type of latch, made by welding and shaping a swivel joint to the base of the upper cusp and just above the hand-grasp, is more sophisticated but lacks the quaint charm of the more primitive ar- rangements. The latch-bars of the ordinary type were generally plain, though many of the early smiths decorated them with incised lines and sometimes shaped the grasp end in some practical form. This shaped grasp end of the bar is particularly characteristic of those fashioned by the Pennsylvania German workers. The staple, too, though usually plain, was in many instances decorated to match the bar and sometimes backed with an escutcheon plate. While in the main the catch, or keeper, as some prefer to call *In 1713 Major Glen built a new stone house, from materials largely supplied from the old (1658). “The massive double ‘Dutch’ door was brought.from the lower and older house.”” From “More Colonial Homesteads,”’ by Marion Harland, pp. 169-179. { 23 ] EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON it, was triangular in form, it is also found with various styles of brace sup- ports terminating in finials decorated to harmonize with other members of the latch group. : . “TYPES OF WROUGHT IRON LATCHES The wooden latches were superseded as soon as practicable by fe ‘ made of wrought iron when, as stated previously, bog ore enough w : locally found to make their manufacture feasible, or when trading relatic were sufficiently well established to permit of their importation from mother country. y There are, roughly speaking, about four distinct types or kinds ae e iron latches, and we have classified them in the following order: k Latch, Escutcheon Lift, Suffolk, and Norfolk. They are arranged venience, in so far as it has been found practicable to do so, into g cording to locality, i. ¢., from the States whence they came. . This grouping is rather vexing, for obvious reasons. To quote _ Frederick Kelly: ‘According to tradition, a considerable amount ous sorts of hardware was turned out by individual craftsmen who at their own forges in different localities. This usage may largely for the broad diversity of forms in which certain articles appear. their general lack of similarity, it is somewhat difficult to make groups of the types of latches, hinges, and other products, and fication can be accomplished only in a broad way.” From this it is apparent that an occasional overlapping or seeming repetition is SC avoidable in any effort to cover the subject as fully as possible, ESCUTCHEON-LIFT LATCHES The most unique, and probably the rarest, of the early Ameri is the escutcheon-lift type. As far as is at present known, there specimens of these latches in existence in this country, and one the museum of the Bucks County Historical Sa at Doyl See Plate 21. For some time Dr. Henry Mercer, curator of chin museum, as to the origin of latches of this yes But an ewe in FE apparent. See Plate 23, Fig. 1. [24 } EARLY AMERICAN DOOR HARDWARE By way of further proof of the English origin of these odd latches, another member of the Bucks County Historical Society, Mr. Frank K. Swain, of Doylestown, Pa., on a recent trip abroad unearthed six specimens of sim- ilar type on very old buildings in England. Strangely enough, they were for the most part on churches or the adjoining residences of the clergy. The escutcheon-lift device is ingenious in its construction, to say the least, for it has neither swivel nor thumb-press, the escutcheon itself per- forming their function by means of a slide action. The two spiral-turned ends of the escutcheon plate form the real grasp, while the lift proper is a spike which is welded to the center of the plate. To work the latch it is only necessary to take hold of either the upper or lower end of the escutcheon plate and raise it. The oblong slots allow a free play up and down in the sliding space, while the squared sides of the twisted hand-grasp serve to keep the plate in its proper place. This twisted handle has square-pointed spike ends which, after passing through the apertures of the escutcheon, are clinched on the other side of the door. A sliding space for the lift spike nat- urally has to be cut through the door, as shown in the sectional illustration in Figure 3, Plates 21 and 22. The back-latch action is similar to all other latches. SUFFOLK LATCHES The Suffolk latch, so designated in “English Metal Work by Wm. Twopeny,” is a cusp type, consisting of an upper and lower cusp or plate joined together by a central grasp or handle. In some cases the latch may be fashioned from a single bar of iron, the ends of which are forged into shapely escutcheons and the grasp rounded or formed to suit the fancy of the worker. In the earlier forms, the thumb-press or bar lift is thrust through the upper cusp, being kept in position by a slit tongue piece in lieu of a swivel. In the later or swivel form, the thumb-press is held in place by a neck-shaped swivel between the base of the upper cusp and the grasp. The earlier latches are generally quite simple in design, and as a rule the pattern of the upper cusp is repeated inversely in the lower. In some cases, however, there are individual designs for each, while others have but a sin- gle or dominating upper cusp, the lower end of the grasp penetrating the door and clinched on the other side. This type of Suffolk latch is common enough in Europe, but, while a very practical pattern, seems not to have met with popular favor outside of certain sections of Pennsylvania. The Arrow-head, the Ball and Spear, the Bean, the Swordfish, the Tulip, and the Heart patterns were probably the most popular of their day. { 25 | EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON The Arrow-head type is common to nearly all of the early colonies here settled by the English. Some, no doubt, were imported, those locally made usually being cruder and with less of the factory look. Deerfield, Mass., possesses many that are still in service on the doors to which they were originally fastened more than two centuries ago. Some of these are plain, others have the notched or chamfered edges typical of their kind. According to our observation, the Arrow-head and Tulip, or Pear-shaped, patterns are more frequently found in central New England and eastern New York than in other localities. But occasionally they are met with in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. The Bean type, so called owing to the cusps resembling the shape of the ordinary Lima bean, is the commonest of all early wrought-iron latches. It was mostly a factory production, hand-made, it is true, records showing that large quantities of English make were imported here, particularly after the close of the Revolutionary War. They were made up in standard sizes, the average being about six inches. Some few of this type were locally made, deviating somewhat in size and decoration and minor details from the imported ones. Travelers in the Old World in going from one country to another are soon impressed by the distinct differences in national styles of architecture. At the border line there is generally a blending of the styles characteristic of the two countries, but as one leaves the border a growing difference becomes evident, and when the center of the country is reached there is a decided contrast. So in a smaller and more intimate way is the influence of a par- ticular local craftsman manifested, and the more masterful and creative his mind the wider the sphere he dominates. There is a fascination in tracing such an influence, as for exaninien in the Suffolk latch so prevalent in the Housatonic Valley in Connecticut. These latches, with their ornamental tulip and lance-head cusps, are charming in design and are easily identified, for they have a “Housatonic look.” One — cannot help feeling that they are the creation of one master artizan, and wondering who he was and where he plied his trade. The Connecticut Valley type also seems to emanate from a common center near East Haddam. In this vicinity are to be found the largest and most ornate of this particular type of latch, and it is here that the highest achievement of New England’s latch artistry was attained. There is a group of three, heroic in size, on the doors of the Congregational Church at Little Haddam, Conn., built in 1794, the largest of them measuring nearly [ 26 } EARLY AMERICAN DOOR HARDWARE 40” over all, the other two being somewhat smaller. We know of no other latches of the period that quite approach them for size and beauty. The hinges, too, on these same doors are massive and unique in their way, and well worth mention. See Plates 45 and 46. Eastern Connecticut also furnishes us with the swordfish type of Suf- folk latch, a good illustration of which is that now on the door of the school- house (restored) where Nathan Hale taught in New London. The grasp is rounded, the circular cusps surmounted by a chamfered or serrated cres- cent from which tapers a slender straight finial chased with a species of egg and dart motif. The thumb-press of this type is usually ornamented with a shell-like pattern, frequently having an incised circle in the center with lines radiating to the escalloped edge. In those of a later period the nail-heads follow a like decorative treatment, while on the back latch or bar piece it- self the same ornamental scheme is followed. The latch on the Pocotopaug Tavern in East Hampton, Conn., said to date from about 1812, is an excel- lent example of this kind. Another distinctive type of Suffolk latch is that of the single upper cusp which is fashioned from or welded to the upper end of the grasp. The grasps vary, being rounded or flat in shape, while the lower end is tapered to a sharp point which when thrust through the door is clinched in the same way as the nail ends fastening the cusp above it. It is strange that this practical form of latch was not more generally used in the colonies, for it is simpler in construction, requires much less material, and is quite as secure in its fastening as the other type. Yet with these apparent points in its favor it still is rarely met with in the colonies outside of Pennsylvania, though quite common in some parts of Europe. ' NORFOLK LATCHES Norfolk latches are spoken of in Pennsylvania hardware-store books of the early nineteenth century and are casually referred to as such in “English Metal Work,” by William Twopeny, F.S. A., 1797-1873, edited by Lau- rence Binyon, under Figure XXXIV. While the early Norfolk latches were all hand-made, most of ours were a factory production imported from England in large quantities, as were the cusp latches of the bean type. It is doubtful whether they were very numerous here much before 1800. However, they became extremely popular and are common to many of our old houses, where they apparently replaced others for various reasons. These latches vary in size, the average being about 714 by 1% inches, and [27] EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON nearly all are swivel lifts. The back plates or escutcheons, to which shies handle-grasp is usually welded, are of rolled sheet i iron. In some early in- and are turn-clinched in the same manner as the ae that fan, the pla when screws were not used. These flat plates or escutcheons are t simple in form; plain, straight sides, sometimes with a raised edge, upper and lower ends frequently ornamented, having an opposite peating design. In some of later mianuisabase these upper and lo signs were die-cut with a single blow, a much more economic use of Occasionally on an outer door we find a larger sized latch o probably locally made, with a more elaborate theme of pines: exceptional. a The grasps of these Norfolk latches are of varied designs and of flat, half-round, or round bar iron, some ges as shay either swage-welded to the center or formed by two oe more » In most of the later patterns a small fillet of pewter applies at t the grasp is characteristic. Re. The early swivel lifts of these Jatches had straight shank ends round thumb-press, but shortly after 1800-10 they appear with ¢ well as straight lift ends, the thumb-press being slightly dished The swivel supports consist of two roughly cut pieces of terial as the escutcheon plate thrust through and welded to the lift aperture, the shaped ends of which protrude slightly on the plate. See Plate go. ey After 1825 the bar and the catch, or keeper, have escutcheon tached. The bar itself sometimes has w knob-grasp, while the st virtually a staple plate, being fastened with nail or screws in lieu ) pointed ends. The Norfolk type practically superseded all other forms of | latches, yielding this supremacy finally with the advent of nee 1 patent cast-iron latch in 1840, See Plate 92. aie DEVELOPMENT OF LIFTS AND BARS The development of the lift end of the thumb-press has be of some little discussion among those interested, especially in its rele the dating of old houses on which these early latches are found. _ { 28 } EARLY AMERICAN DOOR HARDWARE Dr. Henry C. Mercer, curator of the Bucks County Historical Society Museum in Doylestown, Pa., in his brochure on the dating of old houses, maintained that few if any latches in our colonies had curved lifts before 1776. His deductions were based on the careful examination of over one hundred and twenty houses in Pennsylvania. In fact, it was found that curved lifts were rare indeed in that locality before 1800. Another contended that all of the early latches had curved lifts, the niggardly ends of the straight lifts being but the result of the economies of sharp competition, due to the rivalry of British manufacturers who sold us these hand-wrought, factory-made latches in large quantities when our trade revival began with Great Britain after the peace of 1783. An elderly descendant of one of New Jersey’s first settlers advanced still another theory for the use of the straight lift, namely, that the long curved lift ends had a tendency to catch and tear the ample and ofttimes handsome silk skirts or expensive lace sleeve-frills of the colonial dames, and were there- fore cut down. ‘This was probably in any case one of the contributing fac- tors to the final downfall of the latch when it yielded its supremacy to the lock. These discussions serve to remind us of the difficulty of getting exact data on a matter of this sort, and how frequently one is compelled to set aside what seemed only a moment before to be conclusive evidence in es- tablishing a fact. Many of the earlier American latch-lifts were straight, the short inner ends sometimes protruding but half an inch or so, scarcely long enough for a proper grasp in the effort to release the bar from its catch, or keeper. There being at the time no knob or other device on the bar to aid in this operation, our forebears soon found that to open a weather-swollen door with so scanty a hold was an almost impossible task. Hence the develop- ment of these various inside lift ends, from the slightly curved or shapely rounded ones to the lengthy and attenuated rat-tail ends. Some of the latter types measured about eight or nine inches, as for instance those on the doors of the church at Little Haddam, Conn., and various others shown in the illustrations. This logical development, it seems reasonable to assume, was but natural in localities where the start was made with the straight scanty lift. But the fact remains that many of the old latches had curved lifts. And this is true both in the colonies and abroad, for there are old latches with both types of lift in many of the European countries as well as in America. { 29 |} EARLY AMERICAN WROUGHT IRON So it is quite evident that the blacksmith, when making latches, followed local custom unless overruled by the demands of his client. Hence we find the straight lift in the ascendant in one locality, while in others the curved lift seems to have been the more popular. The bar, too, came in for its share of improvement, at first just by an added thickness of material welded-on at the catch end. Later this end was given an outward thrust or bend to insure a better grasp. Then came the fashioned knob, either the shapely welded turnover of the Moravian speci- mens, or a similar device with a spiral end. And, finally, there is a full- fledged grasp like the one on the bar of the Whittier House latch at Haver- hill, Mass. LATCH-LOCKS The transition from latch to lock is first indicated by the appearance of the additional simple escutcheon plate (e. g., Figure 1, Plate 98) to which the ordinary members of the back latch are attached. Later these plates as- sume a more ornamental form. Of the designs of these escutcheon plates J. A. Gotch, R. I. A., in his “Architecture of the Renaissance in England,” writes: ‘‘It will be noticed that the whole of the ornament, although in some cases it looks rich, is in reality obtained by the simplest means, which consist in the main of cutting a thin plate of metal into a variety of shapes; there is hardly any modeling about it. This method is characteristic of most of the ironwork of the time; it was only seldom that modeled ornament was indulged in... .” Following this plate and secured to it comes another new member, a simple spring attachment arranged to press against the bar, as shown in Figure 1, plate 100. The spring is next connected with the staple (e. g., Figure 1 on Plate 99 and Figures 2, 3, and 7 on Plate 98 and the English and other European examples on Plate 99, Figures 3, 4, and 5), or adjusted in slightly different ways such as the Pennsylvania types on Plate 98 and the New England types on Plates 53, 54, and 55 illustrate. The cam, combined with a knob or a drop-handle, marks the next step in development. Then a bolt attached to the back plate appears. As these members of the back latch grow in number and become more complex we note a tendency to incase the various parts with protective plates, sometimes ornamental, till ultimately all are under cover. This transition is interestingly illustrated in Figure 2 on Plate 104, where the latch is incased but not the catch, and there is no bolt incorporated with the { 30 } 3 i EARLY AMERICAN DOOR HARDWARE group. In Figure 2 on Plate 103, however, there is a bolt incased with the latch, the improvised catch being still exposed. LOCKS To just what extent locks were made here in the early days is not easily ascertained. It is our belief that they were mostly of foreign make, as in- deed many of them show by their markings. We have not ventured very deeply into this subject, but have chosen a few specimens to show the transition from the latch to the lock, illustrative in part at least of some of the simpler phases of this interesting development. From “‘Mechanick Exercises or the Doctrine of Handy Works,”’ by Joseph Moxon, 1688—London, England. Ficure 2. AAAA the main plate, BC the keyhole, EDE the top-hook, EE cross-wards, F the bolt, G the bolt-joe or bolt-nab, H the drawback spring, I the tumbler, K the pin of the tumbler, LL the staples. a ‘ Wit yaar UNE at an 1% a Ficure 3. AAAA the cover-plate, B the pin, DCD the main-ward, DD cross-wards, E the step-ward or dap-ward. Ficure 4. Key imposed on Figure 2. A the pin-hole, B the step or dep-ward, C the hook-ward, D the middle or main cross-ward, EE the cross-wards, F the main- ward, GG cross-wards, H the shank, I the pot or bead, K the bow- ward, L the bow, BCDEEFGG the bit. Bolt of Figure 2 reversed. To do the subject full justice would require a volume by itself, and we heart- ily agree on this point with Moxon, when he says: “As there are Locks for several purposes as Street-door Locks, called Stock Locks, Chamber-door Locks, called Spring-Locks, Cupboard-Locks, { 3: } in Locks, I Re in the ee and ebattirins ‘diets Wenn Goede Pe “But the contrivances being almost innumerable, according to ‘the ous fancies of Men, shall be referred to another time to disc ur shall now shew you the working of a Spring-Lock, which when yo how to do, your Fancy may play ‘with Inventions as you best like.” The accompanying illustrations, with his i interesting ex] will serve to give one an excellent idea ab the simple mec! early locks. : ? eek { i ge is. we Pitney 3 yoatee rm. i ai , a. if =) ‘l deh at a i Rl ih oa Bie te Nia ‘ ‘ \ i ‘ ; o * : i . s PLAT EY) OLD SMITH’S FORGE Sketch of an old forge still in the cellar of what was one Tavern—circa 1790—in Plainville, Conn., now the summer J. H. Kirkham, of New Britain, Conn. ae This quaint, sturdy blacksmithing equipment is in as if it had only recently ceased from active service. It stands but silent reminder of the days of stage-coach travel, when it importance that repairs and adjustments be made as quic between stop-overs. One can easily envision the s1 anvil, his young apprentice pumping vigorously at t hostler watching each stroke on the white-hot me stirring on the floor of the eas overhead stron, the jovial spirits there. The old anvil and tool ba in the ¢ foreground are | fen mares ”~ hy f emia Td ie sana nomen ALE eins a rs HOAEN aoa PLATE2 _ fe OLD ANVILS 7 Ficure 1. Old Spanish anvil at Fort Marion, St. hates lieved to have been brought over in the sixteenth century when lowers of Ponce de Leon settled there. This anvil is reputed: tot est in the United States. Ficure 2. Early bicker-iron from the collection of the Historical Society, Doylestown, Pa. — if Ficure 3. Another eighteenth-century “ bickern”—1¢ ; high—owned by Mr. Newton L. Lockwood, Plainville, Conn. OF THE ANVIL “The re of a Black Smiths Asie I ane hens | in tk though it is sometimes made with a Pike or Bickern, or Beck-ir end of it, whose use I shall ‘come to round hollow work. | very flat and smooth, wit hard, that a File will not when a File will not cut or r Plain A is called the Face: it upon a wooden Bik, that te steady and solid. ae “The Stake is a small. stands upon a broad Tron fc else it hath: a Strong Iron which Iron Spike is t Anvil of the Work-Bench not | office is to set Small Cold Work straight upon, or to C with the Cold Chissel, or Cold Punch. ae an tol PUATR2 WOODEN LATCH, HINGE, AND BOLT Ficure 1. Original old wooden ‘string latch from Graeme] the home of Governor Keith (Pennsylvania’s first governor) Pa., now owned by Mr. Welsh Strawbridge, of Phil : tion of the old saying: “The latch-string is out.” A string bar runs through a hole in the door above it to the outside. - door one pulls this string, which releases the bar from the catch old nursery rhyme: “ Knock at the door, peep in. Draw the late Ficure 2. Wooden hinge from an old house in Connec quite common in its day on bedroom, cellar, and attic doors. Ficure 3. Wooden bolt from the Moravian “Sisters hem, Pa.—1742. These wooden bolts are still found generally on cupboard doors. : » inners aoe ee « 3 as Se r = dime, 2h ss , ‘ h i“ ey “eas +o £4 SRR, sales e se = igsind hws 9 =~ ae of 7 henner fe ha x St eae MAT me te 5 ey eee = i : A « aiee 7 . ' / K . ; } ‘ Aa at > " ¥ io (aan A (i as A « Ra =) , or aa ¥ cas aa i ees . = 3 A i ee 7 Figure 1. Wooden swivel latch ace a stan in ee munity” House—1742—in Bethlehem, Pa. | This later form of latch illustrates the common early settlers of doing the best they could with the is of native oak, pegs, cotter-pin, and all. is 3 Ficure 2. Back view of latch above. Figure 3. Wooden shutter-bar os the Johnson mantown, Pa. eget at ner ema * ar SP ee RRR ND Ng ee POETS ie RA a tN ee aN DO te te ee - . aes) 5 it pao ¥ Cpe I, ete ae tet 8 ACETATE alpere PLATE £ WOODEN LATCH ES—SWIVEL These wooden incor are excellent examples of f Yankee ; ity. They are of Norfolk type and probabl roe signs, and are much more elaborate and sop isticated preceiing plate. Both are in the penidinie the: E ewport, R. I. Ficure 1. From the Nine. Wasechioo aie ie mouth, R. I. Measures 634” over all. Sancered: 3 end. Ficures 1b, c, d, and e. Back-latch group of Fig lift end, grasp end with wedge. ve Ficure 2. From the Wm. Reed House) Rhode ; a Figures 2b,c,d. Back-latch group of Figure 2. Bk AE ae PLATE 6 KNOCKERS AND KNOCKER LATCHES Ficure 1. Door-knocker from the old Dutch Van I early seas fies in West sah N. Ae eeu. FicureE 2. 4 knocker bck of Paiuiieee G m: an n cc izing the handle-grasp for knocker purposes by means 0 top and a welded-slug rapper at the base of the ; | is in the collection of Mrs. J. Insley Bit of Tuxedo 1 latch is 12’’ over all. Ficure 3. Another novel arrangement of latch a tion. In this case the grasp has been pin- cusp, thus permitting the use of the pendant rapping against the door. This latch poses as New York City office rather more: for. novelty th We have been unable to ferret out its origin, ; uniqueness than for aa jee to abe or spades PLATE 9h ae KNOCKERS Ficure 1. This knocker, from the main. : doar of the old Cloister—circa 1750—at Ephrata, Pa., is a fair specimen of the 5 early German craftsmen who settled in Lebanon unt at | Almost severe in form, it follows closely the rugged lines of t mother country, even as to the ornamental escutcheon and The restraint of its decoration and its simplicity give it missing in many a more modern specimen. See similar as C Plate 9. Ficure 2. An old English knocker of ee 2 Knight's s a enteenth century—from one of the Wells Cathedral group : ary We Ficure 3. An early American knocker of similar long, from the Bowne House—1661—Flushing, Long Islan, simpler in form than Figure 2, in keeping wit "the tastes o Quaker owner, John Bowne, who did and suffered so much | William Penn and George Fox were apeen by ibis i [ 46 } PLATE 8 KNOCKERS Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 are from the collection of Mr. W. E, aa ‘ York City, and are excellent examples of the possibilities of iron manipulated by the hand of the skilled artisan. Some of them « the old French quarter in New Orleans, La. Whether they were mai or abroad it is difficult at this late date to determine, but it is well that there were iron-workers in the Vieux Carré who were capable < them, and who would intuitively follow the traditional Latin c their designs. One has only to compare these with others on this ceeding plates to be convinced of their foreign inspiration, in any ca Ficure 1. From New Orleans, La., and measuring 6 yy! cutcheon, 5”, Almost identical in design with the French one in Fi from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England. tion of the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial knocker said to be of Swedish origin, which is Mark re 6 ioe cution. Figure 2. From Falmouth, Mass., and measuring a é high. This dainty ware se closely follows i its for C Ficure 3. Measures 44 ” wide by 3y4" high and is Pipher wrought. Ficure 4. From New Gletne La., and penal ss 634" high. Resembles very ey Figure Son oo , side ( Ficure 6. A sixteenth-century ety specimen from Ii Albert Museum in London, Papen the = Coe : PLATE one KNOCKERS AND KNOCKER zarcH comparison, to pina how losly sae many of fthese peo found here in America. . Ficure 1. From old aca bite in Rome, Italy. the knocker on Plate 6, aon New York (Figure ee Ficure 2. Fine old sixteenth-century land. 1134” over all. FIGURE 3. Fighteenth-century knocker, Nimes, ; Ficures 4 and 6. Two Italian knockers. Late | nineteenth centuries, from Venice, Italy. Figure 6, Ficure 5. Old French knocker latch, Lyons, : os eee Pee “ey Se ee ee ee 2 > ha ae. i | . ow = <9 e f vee — - ot > ~ * pals be Se bet ‘ = E « PLATE 10 ee KNOCKERS Ficure 1. Florence, Italy. Ficure 2. A well-fashioned knocks on os fae Fee Mr. Louis Hurd, Middle Haddam, Conn. He was assured t that. nally came from an old house in lower Vermont, 1 not Villian Mass. It is of simple and practical design, quite a contrast to. panying ornate European types on this plate, and ad pri early-nineteenth-century doorway it ROW, adorns. — FicurE 3. Venice, Italy. Ficure 4. Lyons, France. Ficure 5. Florence, Italy. aR Ficure 6. St. Thomas ate Canterbury ee | a9 Te = Saye Pianeta lors ial: hae Sate Rate Oe ann tee eg EY agli ease - As J pn fue ; a i . —— ere te Pee en De ee ay a op oe or iat PLATE. 2 Ie EUROPEAN ROCESS AND KNOCKER LATCHES Ficure 1. Knocker latch ae Lewes, England—seveni Shows heart decoration, the favorite pes of he ae Pennsylvania. Ficure 2. Ashford, Pagan double-cam knocker or right. (See text, page 22.) #8 FicureE 3. From old paris house, Bone. let, Ficure 4. Church of St. John the esesbeece sev Lewes, England. (See Plate 18, knocker on Silliman Hous for its American counterpart, similar even in the pee: escutcheon plate.) PLATE ‘12 KNOCKERS Ficure 1. From Funchal, Madeira. see similat Pea , England on Plate 11, Figure 4, and from America on Plate 1 Ficures 2, 3, and 4. Also from Madeira, and similar in one from the old cloister at Ephrata, Pa. (Plate eet Deusen House (Plate abs Here in this a galan ase = Ficure 5. A Scotch hee owned by Mr. Da] Ri Glasgow, Scotland, and originally on Kellie Castle, coun | device, so far as we have been able to ascertain, is a peculiarly invention and is rarely found outside of the Scottish domain. in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and another in of Oxford University. Taking hold of the “pin” and down the twisted handle-grasp produces a racket more than notify those within that a caller is at the door. There is one of these “knockers” may come to ligh t in the ee 2 where many Scotchmen settled in the early days, so S| included to aid in identification and aa of hee | » eee ae ee | PLATE 13_ DUTCH KNOCKER LATCH—NEW YORK Ficure 1. Old Dutch knocker latch from “Washington’ a ters,” at Newburgh, N. Y.—1696; rebuilt 1770. This latch, as ts what similar one on the east door,'was probably put in place when was first built—1696—nearly all the Dutch houses of this per: having latches of this kind. The “father of his country” » used these latches, for here he established his headquarters ey weary months at the close of the struggle for independence. _ Ficure 2. Sectional illustration. Raising the knocker-grasp ing it a turn to right or left releases the bar from the catch or Ficure 3. Back view, showing cam in the act of lifting bar j just above cam note small protruding ee that hee be aid in lifting the bar. bit We have seen this simple type of Krocker ih in En others using the same principle, but attached to an ornamer plate and having the added spring device, such as those shown « There is an excellent example of this latter type on the door of House— 1602—Oxfordshire, England, illustrated in Sa fe Renaissance in England,” by J. A. Gotch. | [58] PLATE 14 DUTCH ENOCEES LATCHES—NEW YORK - Ficure t. Knocker anh from the old Bronk Hiss } N. Y. This house was built in 1663 and added to in 1738. upright and cross-bar braces. Lower half-door has a in ! out lift attachment. Ficure 2. Back-latch group of Figure 1. 934” over all. Ficure 3. Latch on inner door of the Van Alen Hot se derhook, N. Y. Pendant grasp is smaller and ‘more: ef: is 314" ON ; Ficure 4. Bar of ee with tebe: line d je : 95%" over all. (See Plate 132, igure 4, and also Plate 1: of hardware on plain and divided Dutch door.) 5 Ey Per perme 4 ; 2 jee Clit i é 435 > PLATE 15 ee. DUTCH KNOCKER LATCHES OF NEW YORK AND NEW A group of early Dutch knocker latches of similar type, s differences in the form of their pendant hand-grasps and varied of escutcheon plates, the heart bie ti and diamond pattern” of designs of that period. ae All these latches have simple bars, some of hice have oration, and all of them have the extra cam member as ex] troduction. Ficure 1. Knocker latch from ; an old Dutch Rot aE SE Ficure 2. Is still in use at Haworth, Bergen County, N Ficure 3. Late seventeenth-century latch from West | FicuRE 4. Late seventeenth-century latch from Woodric Ficure 5. Early saa spor from N. Y. Ficure 6. Early cghteenth-century specimen fom New Itz ‘[o2} PLATE 16 NEW ENGLAND KNOCKER LATCH ae Ficure 1. Knocker latch of New England type on the door of th sign John Sheldon House—1698—now in museum of tl Memorial Association, Deerfield, Mass. This house was attacked Indjans in the bloody massacre of Deerfield Valley in 1704. They cut a in the door through which they shot and killed the ensign’s brave ' door since then being known as the “Indian Door.”’ (See Plate 124, F 2 and 2a.) ; a rs aa Ficure 2. The bar—11” long—covered with a pattern of cised lines, the staple being notched above and below. The catch has the appearance of having had a supporting brace which has b off. For further discussion of this patie, see description of Plate 94. . nice Ficures 3 and 4. Front latch (3) and back latch (4) ft chapel of Sto. Cristo de los Dolores, Madrid, Spain—eighteent The front turn-button device is connected directly with the axis bar so that it works on the same principle as the knocker latch a turn of button or handle-grasp raising or lowering the bar in For development of this turn-button idea into knobs and han 101. | { 64 } PLATE 17 NEW ENGLAND KNOCKER LATCH Ficure 1. With the possible exception of the kee -liman House at Fairfield, Conn. (see Plate 18), this is the 1 its kind we have found in New England. It adorned. the House in Groveland, Mass., dated 1728, and now rey in the Haverhill Historical Society at Haverhill, Mass. is ornamented with a deeply incised wave-line design, and cular rapper. The square escutcheon plate is given’ rouch « the corners and around the nail-heads. Figure 2. The bar is not only partly Oe, is decorated with a circle-and-crescent design. The ca Ficure 3. Sectional view of latch. PLATE ae NEW ENGLAND KNOCKER LATCH Ficure 1. The knocker latch of the Sil lan. Fairfield, Conn. It resembles very closely those f counties of England (see latch on church of St. John t England, Plate 11, Figure 4), though the Silliman, la somer of the two, for more care has been given to its: d Ficure 2. The bar—9 wa long—is plain « and reenf escutcheon plate, 3x 3’’.. The brace of the catch of artistry by the extra bend. Staple peels Rr Ficure 3. Braced catch; sectional v view. PLATE 19 NEW ENGLAND KNOCKER LATCH plan A. and Helen ee say ee entire janes on which it originally from an old house in Essex, Conn. R: The latch is probably of early eighteenth century, ‘he bar resembling very closely those of that period. Its rathe u and heft attract the eye. Grasp measures a - oy". Me Ficure 2. This rugged bar would surely. need a pro action on the bare wood would soon interfere with its effectiv can readily understand after observing the wearing caused se of bar on the door of the Balch Piss Plate Mies auth *The Acadian House is said to have saltaved some at dceaaae their homes in Canada by the British during the French and Indian ed in a See pe a) O09 ra oO — Doel PLATE 20° | NEW ENGLAND KNOCKER LATCH FROM PENNS Fiduse 1 A knocker lateh of She Wem England Cadwalader House—1728—in Yardley, Pa. For someun of this type are not very often found in Pennsylvania, t in England, the land of Penn’s birth. Escutcheon, ay". . Ficure 2. The bar is plain, save for the fashioned q ju capping the axis end. Staple and catch also plain. ee Note.—Another latch of similar type is on one of the , itb mill) belonging to the Cadwalader estate. ee 7 - vi th . che hae z Ge RE ee Cy eee a Ge fe ee eee PLATE 21 ie ESCUTCHEON LIFT LATCHES Ficure 1. This escutcheon lift latch, now in the museti County Historical Society at Dovescowas Pa., was taken ; bride-Chapman House near there. It was on the cella: 1776, and placed on the rebuilt house after a fire in 1809. twisted handle is firmly clinched to the door, the latc or lowering the escutcheon plate—see Figure 3 on Two of the three disks of this simple escutcheon are riveted to the center disk. The upper and lower | turn for use as a grasp. Size over ally 9. sf Ficure 2. The bar, tests and catch 3 are ni i FIGURE 3. Sectional view. . ; ae A ae. oe ee © ft, rt ee PLATE 22 | BSCUTCHEON LIFT LATCHES ie re Ficure 1. From the Cadwalader House, dated 172 This latch is somewhat more ornate than that of the k House and a trifle smaller, measuring but ie he very similar, but wend instead of Sover line. The staple is plain and a opt nae oe Ha th supporting brace terminating in the form of a heart. __ Ficure 3. Sectional view, showing Position ve of hand escutcheon grasp and release the bar. | ; Fig. 3 9 ofr wy - Fat war ae = hs at Ne wt Per 1 4 , PLATE 23 _ ESCUTCHEON LIFT LATCHES Ficure 1. A copy of Plate go—loose bar | Northumberland—from “English Metal Work,” by eee o} 1797-1873, with a preface by Laurence Binyon. Ficure 2. From the old mill—early nites centu walader estate at Yardley, Pa. The escutcheon is of measuring 8” over all, the shapely and slightly beveled h from the twisted ones on the other specimens of this type Figure 2a. Back-latch group. ‘Bar, seed long. a large, 5’’ over all. | Figure 3. On the old stone house, Doyletnnas » bi Jonathan Worthington, and now owned by 0 EF. hee rai lift is 734” x 156”. Ficure 3a. Bar is 1034” long and ee spidedie of made, for it has the bashed “dog ears’’ so typical of The catch with its twisted brace i is 31K" mace i, PLATE 24 EARLY NORFOLK LATCHES—MASSACHUSETTS Ficure 1. This rare Norfolk latch, measuring about 9 over from the interesting old Abraham Browne House—1663— Mass., one of the houses owned by the Society for the Preserv England Antiquities. The handle-grasp of this latch is missin latches of the same kind in this house (possibly replicas) have grasps ing the form suggested in outline at the left. Grasps on latches of and period, both in this country and abroad, are, however, usuz form such as those on Plate 25, Figure 1, or Plate o82—_. Ficure 2. The back latch has a shapely seven-inch bar, de a simple pattern. Note extra nubbin on the axis end, which namental escutcheon, 21” across, and harmonizing with of the front latch. This nubbin or square of extra Pepebe put on by the early smiths to strengthen a weak place. It is: this point on bars and was also used on hinges for a similar Plates 144 and 145.) The thumb-press on this latch has S. L. scanty one. Braced catch is very thin. Staple plain. Maes Ficure 3. Shows the original plain batten door to w which this attached. This door has shadow molding and quaint hinge drawings-of which may be found on Plate 147, is i. pie [ 80 } : SN 5 iy eine a | fic Re - “4 } > fa” AIA Re eit one Fe PER tases dlr See Ss Sc wi SS CIOL Yc EI EP ae r -s tar Th Meat fe + ms bee a eed “ Ee 5 we % Me Pe | ria te Roe ‘ a A sek Ge PLATE 2 ae EARLY NORFOLK LATCHES Ficure 1. An early and very fine specimen of Norfolk ee fr William Judson House in Stratford, Conn., built in 1723. The pattern seems almost more suited for treatment in brass than quite in advance of its time so far as structural delicacy i is conc the latch has all the strength that is necessary, for it is still in service on original door to which it was first fastened. ek is 13H" bite Th press—3 1%,’ x 114’’—has line ornament. Ficure 2. Bar, circa 12” long. ‘Staple, 2 256" x 56", braced. er Note.—The long strap-hinges on the door have finials ae of bar. Ficure 3. A Norfolk latch from an old house in ) Date circa 1780 to 1790. It is 123” over all. x Figure 4. Saucered thumb-press and curved nee left. Bar, staple, and catch missing. ae Meehan sis Bates, of Middle eoac con PLATE 26 EARLY NORFOLK LATCHES It is very probable that these three Norfolk latches’ work of the same Connecticut smith, though th e one has_ sylvania. They are similar in conception, Fi ure - form, Figure 1 being in better proportion though smaller tha thumb-presses have C. L. ends, and the satehiee sof Figures ‘ the one twisted and the other plain. oe a Ficure 1. Is still in service on the Solcnel Bradlee —in Watertown, Conn. Latch is 1134” x 5”” extreme. not of early type as that of Figure 2. Figure ta. Back-latch group of Figure is Baris is II over all. 7 Ficure 2. From the Moras: Bde Collection in | Morgan Memorial Museum, Sreren oe 3 Latch, 13 missing. Staple plain. ae Ficure 3. From the ealfesean of Me a D. Br Pa. Latch is 1314’ x 558” over all. Bar, staple, a1 Britton states that he bought this latch from a wayfé of local origin, as he has never seen any of that type Ler ee ae 1 _ s = < * a ee a ee ee le PLATE 27 EARLY NORFOLK LATCHES Ficure 1. An odd, locally made affair from an old fee in | field, Conn. Date underermined, but probably latter sah of the « ighte century. , om Ficure 2. This quaint conception from the Rokdroan House ersfield, Conn., dated 1727, has many points in common with that William Judson House in Stratford, Conn. (See Plate 25.) of thumb-press and slender, shapely handle-grasp, a ves Connecticut latches. The pene cae finial of this e decidedly naive. Fioure 2a. Back latch of Figure 2. Nass Gihinmaveds bree with its escutcheon scarcely fits in with the other members anc later date. The present owner of the house, Senator are old latch was recently bought in Hartford and placed on the Ficure 3. This unique Norfolk latch from the San 1779—1n California, might claim the distinction of bei ican than all the others, for it was probably made by a Mex is §14"’ long and 2%«’ wide. The shape of the latch and 1 on both front latch and bar are characteristically Indian tive arrangement of the deeply gouged lines on bar and press has S.L. This drawing was made after a ie Clark, of Santa Barbara, Calif. | Ficure 3a. Back-latch group of Figure 3. arene [ 86 ] ay ee .. eneAE USE: PLATE 28 EARLY NORFOLK LATCHES Ficurss 1 and 2. Two Norfolk latches from he Thats r field, Mass. Both are about 7” in height and have beveled edges: Their bars—8” over all—are similar, and staples thumb-press of Figure 1 has S. L., while that of Figure 2 has The hand-grasp of Figure 2 was missing. The plate is s instead of the clinched lower grasp end. At the upper grasj part of the thumb-press is thrust through, a makeshift The latches are said to be contemporaneous with the eighteenth century—and are similar to those of the same | We insert three European latches of a similar character different countries, showing the bee of me hs sixteenth century. Ficure 3. Nimes, France. Ficure 4. Sulgrave Manor, England. Ancestral homeo th ton family. Ficure 5. El Escorial, Spxin—sixteeth century. - as AT ern. sect Ra ? “a-” PLATE 29 EARLY SUFFOLK LATCHES OF ARROW-HEAD- TYP! Figure 1. Latch, 15’ long, with the date 771 pricked in in from the Chaffee House, Windsor, Conn. If this custom | some way marking their handiwork had been more general smiths, as it was with certain manufacturers, it would be the student. But it was only spasmodically done. Figure 1 shows a Pennsylvania example, and there 1 is a ey latch Figure 2. Ficure ta. Back-latch group of Pea ip - Aiea FIGURES 2, 3, and 4. All from Deerfield, Mass., and thumb-presses with S. L. ends, plain bars and sere te catches. Figure 2. Measures 1034" over all, and differs = from ing a swivel lift. Ficure 3. Measures 1038” over at oN Ficure 4. Measures 974" over all. S. 1. eee Figure 5. A more squatty specimen of aoe same 1 ; Haverhill of about the same period. As rox4"” Back-latch members plain. r PLATE 36 | SUFFOLK LATCHES—ARROW-HEAD PATTERN oy: Ficure 1. This notched arrow-head latch, now in the Salem, Mass., is probably the original latch of the John W —(restored and at present a museum connected with the ins is 1234” over all. Hand-grasp is round, slightly, beveled, and | tooling at the center. Bar, staple, and catch missing. = Ficure ta. Typical early New England latch-bar, with le hand-grasp. (See Plate 96.) Reproduction of bar of this i | ent latch of the Ward House, Salem, Mass. _ ae Ficure 2. A squatty version of the arrow-head pat tt on the Loomis House—1688—Windsor, Conn. — Figure 2a. Simple bar of Figure 2. | Braced en or um C.L., as have most of the sont! on the fet foes of this n house. FIGURE 3. Latch of eve same type fate ie Gabcaee 1722—(Graeme Park), Montgomery County, Pa. Latch over all. Bar and staple plain. De has Ss. L escutcheon plate. ee Loz} P LATE 4 im SUFFOLK LATCHES PENNSYLVANIA Ficure 1. An arrow-head type similar to those of from the Schwartzlander pein tao? vias over all. Figure ta. The beveled bat 34" hae a iy mfere grasp. The thumb-press is very unusual, set upside doy end fully shows. The braced SS is Puen t average. ~ FicurE 2. Another Bucks eae ia: latch from | —1769. Its serrated cusp sides are unique. It: ‘ Ficure 2a. The bar is 10%”, ae i: a tiny The catch has supporting brace, wi the thumb-press has S. L. cc eteete | - ee ee eee ee i eT i ee ee a, Bere ee Ee See eae, eee Se, a? — — PE ATS eee SUFFOLK LATCHES FROM THE HANCOCK-CLARKE HOUSE | a The Hancock-Clarke Houte i in Lexington, Mass.—1698—has a number ; of interesting old latches of the arrow-head type, five of them cusp aes one swivel, and many of them with C.L. There are also two of the s bean type ‘with C, L., one of them having saucered thumb-press; as one of the trefoil pattern (Figure 3), one plain Norfolk, and one wooden I on an attic door. Figure 1. An excellent example of the period, showing coun i decoration by indentation and attempts at chamfering and line Mica sides of the cusps and the center of the shapely half-round handle-g Latch, 1034” over all. Thumb-press dished or saucered, ae roe Ficure 1a. Back-latch members of Figure 1. Note the ur amount of decoration on bar and shaped end of catch brace with i be mented nail-head. Ficure 2. Another arrow-head latch from the same house, crude than Figure 1. Length, 834” over all. Thumb-press has S. Figure 2a. Back-latch members of Figure 2. Staple and ca Bar—7'%./’—terminates in graceful bulbous form. Ficure 3. This trefoil patterned specimen—834” long—is p a later period. There is no attempt at ornament save the tooled the center of the handle-grasp. « Thumb-press has S. L. end. Th marks of a previous arrow-head latch underneath this latch. _ Ficure 4. Another back latch—1034@”’ long—from the - House, showing unusually ornate escutcheoned staple, catch wee brace end, and an escutcheon plate underneath the bulb-shaped a the bar, which does not often appear in the earlier latches. [ 96 } PLATE gar ‘SUFFOLK LATCHES Ficure 1. A rare old latch group from the Palihauke Tou pe Mass., built in 1668. It is simple in desig ens masta to spat of constant use. Ficure ta. The bar is 10” over all. Staple ana catch sae lain, of bar matches pattern of cusps. : r YE al Ficure 2. Another rugged old specimen, its back: from an old barn in eastern Connecticut. It bears a striking to the Fairbanks latch and is pa e very early ae workmanship. Ficure 3. Latch from the old Quaker Meshas tae Long Island. The latch measures ech over r all; aes FIGuRE 4. aah quite similar to Figure 3. ‘aa perk same smith, as it is on the front door of the house of John E Quaker of F lushing, Long Island. This historic house was for a number of years was the gathering place of the rt Fox having found shelter within i its s walls. ae “measures 1 catch is braced. Cosh rd air’ ae “eet Pe, ee Sigel ee ee oe see ae oe ee tt PE Ula ee ONS a ated OP eet PD el eee ee Oe oo eC ee iD cine Welt ie POM Reive week a cies ee sy Oe Le PLATE 34 SUFFOLK LATCHES MASSACHUSETTS Ficure 1. The John Wiliams Hoaee ts Deerfield : tains this excellent specimen of arrow-head Latah all. “Thumb-press, ©. boends | ace ; ; Ficure ta. Bar—giz/’—is plait s save at the aan the nail-head is also modeled. Staple plain. Catch Ficure 2. There is a sentimental appeal in this la the Quaker poet, John Greenleaf Whittier, at Hav Though a fairly good example of its kind its relative the back-latch group, particularly in the han | rather unusual. Latch measures 10}4”' over all. Ficure 2a. Back-latch group of Reuse 2 a E: 4) ) ‘PLATES S 3 | SUFFOLK LATCHES—CONNECTICUT o Ficure 1. This sturdy latch of the Suffolk ; a. still door of an old house on one of the side streets of Str late eighteenth century. It is 1214” over all, ma Ficure 1a. The bar is plain, 1034” in len C.L. The catch has a supporting brace, and 1 is the double row of gouges on either side of the Ficure 2. A variation of the same nate: S = vires gee i » CU RET RN Eh tae ar ¢ f J Say aati ae [ 102 } hie eK fe PLATE 36 SUFFOLK LATCHES—CONNECTICUT show the latches on the doors of the famous old Parise 7 Rea Branford, Conn., in which Yale College was organized in 1701-1702. T old house was destroyed in 1835, but interested friends saved the orig doors which are now appropriately placed in the library of the U at New Haven. (See article by George Dudley pitas in Old-T England for April, 1926.) ; Ficure 1. The latch now on the se is of the idee a probably imported, S. L., 734” over all, its only decoration being heavily incised lines in the center of the ‘handle-grasp. It is un replacement, for it is in no wise related to the eee idee it is at present assembled. Ficure 2. Careful examination revealed the Bae and n an earlier latch, the outlines of which are here depicted. ‘This 14” over all, or nearly twice the size of that of ea hor I, is similar i to the latches of the period in the near-by town o Stratford. Plate 35. Z Figure 3. Bar—1134"" long—which has been one to He : (see Plate 40, Figure ra, for similar Bien 2h Staple plain. Catch ing brace. : Gia Past { 104 } FIGuRE I. likely of the late eighteenth century. I 1356” over all. oN Ficure 1a. Back latch of Figure 1, the bar measuring v8" FIGURE 2. FIGURE 3. FIGURE 4. FIcurReE 5. PLATE 37 SUFFOLK LATCH ES—CONNECTICUT From Hyland House, dane fly 1660 Gres Cromwell—circa 1790—13%4”” long. Gan Sharon—late eighteenth century—1334” long. = Middle Haddam—late eighteenth century. A . Middlesex County—same period—12” long. % a [106 } Sn ee et eee he Te ee ‘ » a i Pe: eae ee tee PLATE 38 SUFFOLK LATCH ES—BALL-AND-SPEAR PATTERN—CONNECTIC Except Figure 7 all these latches are from. Connectictt and ar ball-and-spear type. The hand-grasps are half round, and nearly 7 cised line decoration in some form at the center. In. most cases 5 are curved. : Ficure 1. From Plainville, Conn., a now ae a Mr. Lockwood. It is 1114” over all. Thumb-press flat, round, with shown in outline to the left. To right, ornamented bar be "a with chamfered edge and incised line decoration. Braced catch. “ae Ficure 2. From East Berlin, Conn. 1534" over all. Ss. SS Figure 3. On the door of the Buell House—1760-80— ! ough, Conn, It is 1736” over all and is owned by oe Mary F ford, Conn. 4 Ficure 4. From the D. A. R. Headquarters at Colchester over all. Ficure 5. Owned by the Misses Amelia M. Witobh Fee cs son, of East Windsor Hill, Conn. Latch measures ie Wet eo press missing. : Ficure 6. Also from East cyan Genie 1636" over Ficure 7. From Martinsburg, N. Y. Early ninetes nt : Ficure 8. Ornamented bar J Massachusetts, plain. PLATE 05 SUFFOLK LATCH ES—SWORDFISH TYPE. The swordfish latches here depicted are excellent examples of ee and show the finished workmanship of the latch-makers near the close of the wrought-iron period. As far as we have been able to ascertain, these latche: were made about the year 1812. They are still in their original 8 and are handsomely wrought in every detail, no part escaping 1 decoration, even to the very nail-heads. The brass escutcheon pla which the lift end of the eee) is thrust (in the back net ably added later. Ficure 1. On a door of the old Pocotieapiie oe ‘fas | n Conn., now owned by Mr. Buell. Latch measures 2434” over all Figure 1a. Back-latch group of Figure 1. It is typical ornate specimens of this type of latch. (See Plate 41, Figure Figure 2. On the door of an East Hampton house near the old. Latch is 26” over all. For back-latch group see Plate 95, Figu Ficure 3. From the old Bacon Academy—1803— ( This latch measures 1434” over all, and has a single swordfi: upper cusp. Thumb-press has C. L. Back latch missin this pattern is serving as handle on an old barn door eM For another example see Plate 52, neue hear ; Lilie fia Bocoto poug Tavern East Hampton C4, PLATE 40° | SUFFOLK LATCHES—SWORDFISH TYPE Figure 1. Swordfish latch on door of Nathan Hale Schoolhouse London, Conn.—1774—similar to those on Pocotopaug Tavern | Hampton and elsewhere. Thumb-press has same eminiic but ba much simpler. Length of latch, 27” over all.* axe Ficure ta. Back-latch group of latch above. Bar is ia usual, and the bend in it near the catch end seems strange. Pe so shaped to fit a different jamb which may have been altered toration.” The bar on the Parson Russell House latch (see. Figure 3) is similarly bent. Ficure 2. An attractive little specimen, similar to Figure 1. smaller—1134” over all—from Colchester, Conn. Note close re of thumb-presses, tooling of center of handle, shapely bar ends, This latch probably dates from early 1800, fee has a sort of. upper cusp. eA Ficure 2a. Back members of Je ws 2. Bar is 36" hea. acteristic ornamented axis sia a Back latch missing. apron oan C.L. feels * A letter from Mr. Ernest E. Rogers, o of the (New London, Conn.), says this latch “was placed on othe door tei Conn., and is a genuine antique.” sigs scat [112 } ie, ee os! oe ba a asc es #8 © “= €¢ & & Sameer A TAREE NN RINE ONTE Salat 4 4 7 hes a 5 5 - th ae - . 4 ii a ee es Peas ae ee ee ae ee ee ee cl Gane “hae ee Lae ee ee ee eo hee rr ve PL A T E 4 ie SUFFOLK LATCHES —sWORDPISH TYPE Ficure 1. From the John Isham House, Cobphegtet € | now the home of Miss Abby E. Willard. Latch, 26” over Ficure 1a. The bar—184” long—strongly resembles that of topaug Tavern on Plate 39, as do the other back-la tch mi they are not quite as ornate. The Breathe gres | is este curved lift end. | d Ficure 2. Now in the Metropolitan ‘Maden of Art, very like Figure 1, though i it has circular rather than Length over all, 29 ih", ; Back-latch group missing. — Note.—It is quite likely that most of these aches. were man or group of men in the same district, probably the or Pratt, who worked in the an of ee chapter. ewe eee ha eee en Tome eee <7 ; ll PLATE 42 SUFFOLK LATCHES—CONNECTICUT This oriental-looking group of Connecticut latches suggests contact ; foreign shores on the part of the designer. As they all came from the C n. necticut River district, a returning sailor’s souvenir might have been re- sponsible for the Turkish motif, even as the returning crusaders in the M dle Ages were accountable for the Byzantine influence manifested in s the wrought-iron and other decorations of that era in England and These latches are mentioned by another author as being very it has been our good fortune to locate quite a number of | them. capitation of those in Figures 1 and 2 seems strange, and one whether it is the result of accident or design. They are all from vicinity, are nearly of a size, and are very similar in \ peneae Sei ment of both front and back members. Ficure 1. Rocky Hill, Conn. 1414” as is. Pin hares original. Thumb-press has C, L., as shown above. Catch 1 Ficure 2. Now in Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Ficure 3. On the house of Mrs. C. J. Boardman, aes over all. Figure 3a. Back-latch group of Figure % Chamfred bar long. % Ficure 4. Morgan-Nutting Colleation in _ Soni Speie Memorial Museum, Hartford, Conn. . , Ficure 4a. Back-latch group of Figure 4. Ficure 5. Also in Berlin, Conn, 18” long. | Figure $a. Back-latch group of ais? oa Lo (ube PLATE 43 SUFFOLK LATCH BS—FARMINGTON TYPE cut. "They have a tongue extension at the ay of is bee handle, or sometimes on both cusps, as in Figure 2. The bac : of all are plain and the catches have supporting braces. aes Figure rt. On old First Church—1652-1771—in Farmin latch in all probability of the later date when the present edifi Note radiating line tooling on the elliptical form of both measures 1714” over all. Door panel stegontrs: at pea sii ment. Figure ta. Back latch of Figen ag oe 14" long. end of lift, with radiating curved-line ornamentation. we ya Ficure 2. Also from Farmington, and measures 19 Figure 3. From the collection of Mr. Newton L. L ville, Conn. Latch is 1434” over all and dates from 1770 fine example of this type on the Barrett House i in Wethers Ficures 3a, b,c, andd. Back-latch group of Figure eae : rn . Bee ca Figure 1. Another Pasian be inl to see a from the Hyland House—circa 1660-1720—Guilford, Conn. : over all. Curved lift. Back-latch group doubtful. | Figure 2. Ani impressive Massachusetts leaf-pattern latch tury. Length, 16%” over all. It ee mB beveled handle-gra: thumb-press with curved lift end. Bar and bis are Boe. a twisted brace with heart-shaped finial. Ficure 2a. Back-latch group of Figure ae Ben is 5 9%" Ficure 3. A very ornate and unique Massehons pine-tree pattern. Length, 1314” over all. From the MacMillan Welch and now in the Metropolitan Museum City. Thumb-press has line ornament and curved tae es missing. See dy a7; ope 2. ; a or 5 ie } ~ 2 Seen cree ee PLATE ae SUFFOLK LATCH ES—CONNECTICUT © Ficures 1 and 2. These handsome and strikingly. ‘simil: graced the doors of neighboring Connecticut churches. Figur service on the Congregational Meeting House in Little Had while Figure 2 was taken from St. Stephen’s Episcopal Ch dam, built in 1795 and destroyed a number of years ago. — tant pieces of hardware of this edifice were saved by. Mr. I M ard and are now in the Junius Spencer Morgan Mer Hartford, Conn. a Note the sameness of the bars, both the staples ey plates, and each thumb-press a curved rat-tail ending, : ing been made by the same hand. These latches are repr highest point in craftsmanship reached by the earlier blacksmi icut, their work excelling anything of its kind in New En; a highly decorative feature on the doors of many of the period. They were larger as a rule than the average, that « 38” over all, while the length of Figure 2 is 2834". The ba 1334’ over all , and the plate of the catch measures 4 c Re CV, ee en See Rs ee ee ee RS cae ee a a On: SEARO phe ae Me eat en a Se PLATE 46 SUFFOLK LATCH ES—CONNECTICUT The examples shown on this plate are evidently the work of eh master hand as those illustrated on Plate 45, for they are se from the lettet to Mr. George Dudley Ssvinaee previously: quoted in the ble section of Chapter I, was the result of our efforts to find out if pos made these imposing latches. Ficure 1. From East Haddam, Conn. Measures 3434" a Curved rat-tail lift end as suggested at side. © Figure 2. Also from East Haddam and is orobahty the | ir period in the colonies, for it is 3934”’ over all. Thumb-press dist the chamfered notching in the crescents above and below the main « disk units, a characteristic of the swordfish latches illustrated O 39 and 40. Ficure 3. Latch, 2834” long, on the left front door of Se tional Church at Little Haddam, Conn. Thumb-press flat with ¢ end, as outlined below illustration. There is a similar latch on door of this church, Fat late on contol Geaerese Plate 45, arrangement of hardware on the other Ode of these Govtss see and 130. | Ficure 4. An odd latch in Middle Hires probably ee the shop, judging by the design, though this one is a cusp instead of a swiv and the handle-grasp 1 is more decoratively treated. Thumb-pre Latch much smaller in size than the ane ecm Ne {124} FR we ad |! Sa PLATE 47 SUFFOLK LATCH ES—CONNECTICUT. A type of swivel latch found in the vicinity of Moodus al Conn. Some maintain that they were made by the Warne who perhaps also made the heroic and ornate specimens in Haddam, These are, of course, far simpler in form, but the the tapering terminals of the more elaborate swordfish latches evidence. They certainly look like the forerunners of th and 40, and are similar in form of handle-grasp, swivel fo catch with plate, appearance of bar, and, finally, size. - Ficure 1. 2414” over all. Owned os Mr. George D of New Haven, Conn. Ficure ta. Profile of catch, bar, and staple of Figure rie Ficure 2. 1834” over all. Owned by Mr. Geor of New Haven, Conn. Figure 3. 13” over all, and now on a barn ah Colchester, Conn., though it ‘prubalily held a more digr past. From sketch by Mr. J. ei. ears Conn. PLATE 48 SUFFOLK LATCHES—SWIVEL LIFT Ficures I, 2, and 3. Three highly decorative latches ee ern at Hadlyme Ferry, Conn.—eighteenth century—two of them and 3) now in the possession of Mr. James Lord Pratt, of the famed unk line of smiths in Essex, Conn. All have C. L., and are probably the w Warner, the Hadlyme smith, as they have many pain in common latches of his time and vicinity. Ficure 1. Measures 2014” over all. Figure 2. Measures 19” over all, From a sketch by Mr Kelly, A. I. A., of New Haven, Conn. . eee Figure 3. Measures 17, 4" over all. the jamb, a5 shown in Figure eb We have ined eet similarity to many of the latches in epson as. Spee as thumb-press feature. ) a [8h tion, Ne York oe ‘egBrom th Figures ran 3 with Plate 47, swordfish types, Ry eta a Ficure 2. From tice Conn. Ficure 5. aS Ficure 6. Near eee N. Y, cae over all. Ficure 7. River Edge, N. J. 8” over all. Ficure 8. Hartford, Conn. 1036" over all. ¥ ve ; ee ’ t > 1 2 is ye Fs . . ; { s - , : a ~ a . 4 x f ie Ge a Se a On ee ee ee a pa) Paes a : ty sig SE a ts P aaee Via ut By | hues ce ve sack % " i ao ee eee aS ty », PLATE 50 SUFFOLK LATCHES—BALL AND SPEAR TYPE This latch is of special sentimental interest because it adorns one doors of thé old Wayside Inn—1683—Sudbury, Mass., made fam« Longfellow’s visits and poem. Since its purchase and rehabilitation Henry Ford the inn has more than ever become a mecca fs i The latch measures 1434” over all. Bar is 834" lor rf 3%” long. The back escutcheon plate was probably a ae | original latch members, as a protection against wear. Owing t tunate placement on the door this latch, chong large enough | tention, is not as effective as it might be. eee wes On a plain batten door the position of the latch veka fete ifFe in the general effect, but on a paneled'one it is quite another matter. a fine old latch has suffered in this respect and many a door has beer sometimes as a result of transferring old hardware to new loc more often because of sheer lack of thought. This particular la bears evidence of having served many years in its present lo worn condition of the thumb-press aperture and ae ance of the back escutcheon plate show. \' -_ . es Von, Ni, : . 4 iN Se To Cees Me i ats ta a cea, wi x oe ee Pu 7, Eee nar eee PLATE os I SUFFOLK LATCHES—MASSACHUSETTS | Ficure 1. Latch from the Sheldon anes: Deertald: Note the ornamental chamfering at both top and bottom, ; shaping of the handle-grasp, with two incited, ab near Length, 1014” over all. “ais Figure 2. The bar is rather atintre eet ong—" : | end and gouged line decoration. The catch has a pon ded : nating in heart shape. Staple plain. ie Note.—A census of the latches on this house eresied 3 Norfolk type (2 with S. be 1 with C. L), 6 bean type (1 with S. L., 5 with CL), s- 2 arrow-head type (1 with S. L., 1 bide 1 ball and spear type (with C. Le : An interesting contribution to the curved versus st! fi 1S) yt Oa - ee pie Lie /otet ne, + ca a Se a eat Pi: : eA ee oe PLATE 52 SUFFOLK LATCHES Figure 1. An impressive example of sturdy appearance | Kriger place, near South Williamstown, Mass. It is 1934" over all, sembles the swordfish type in Connecticut. ae has x as shown. yee Ficure ta. Ornate bar is 13’” ons Gok like the ee | Ficure 2. This arrow-head latch from Mill River, of an early period, judging from its crudely wrought has character appreciated by those who understand the and anvil. It measures 1534” from tip to tip. Back Flat thumb-press has C. L. Only peat at ornamen handle-grasp. Figures 1 and 2 from the collection of Mr. w. B Forge, New York City. Figure 3. From Washington’ s Headquarters, press has S. L. Ficure 4. New Paltz, N. ve gis! over all. : r Figure 4a. Back latch of Figure 4. Bar, 574” lon g. Ficurr 5. Colchester, Conn., swordfish type. ~ ‘ ¥ et Ni eee Ai ee Te ye eae eee Fe PLATE 53 Ficure i. A simple arrow-head ake, fro he heuer Joseph Stebbins in Deerfield, Mass., priate nie one se 958" by 3%", a ace spring arrangement, sad an pin device for locking, which illustrates a phase in the transition to lock. For full discussion of this development | ‘see Locks, and Plates 98-107. : ae Note heart shape of spring ae and head of carnpin for the simple ornamental finial of the brace for the catch, There are other minor arrow-head katate in this most of which have os lifts. . i eo PLATE 54 SUFFOLK LATCH ES—TRANSITION TYPE Ficure 1. Another illustration of the transition from the old Washington Tavern in Westfield, Mass.—circa plate (7’’ x 4’’), bar (614”), and staple are more ornate t 53, but the thumb-press end is straight and the catch is u is no bar spring, but the locking device has a the turn-pin head is similar in design to the previous one. -Ficure 2. The front latch is of the common ‘ oer it is said replaced an earlier one of better kind. PLATE 55 SUFFOLK LATCHES—TRANSITION TYPE Ficure 1. Another Massachusetts specimen with more latch group of transition type, from the Mission House, —1740. Turn-pin lock arrangement similar to Plate 54. measures approximately 10}6” x 334”. Bar, we lias: piece.) ; FicuRE 2. Front latch i is _ more elaborate front door of the Colton aces back-latch group of the same Kinds “See Place i PLATE 56 SUFFOLK LATCHES These latches are so similar in design that it is quite likely ee made by the same smith, a probability which is further s fact that both are on Dutch houses. Figure 2 is on a house i N. Y., of about 1703, while Figure 1 is from one in South E; built in 1761 by J. T. Tullar, probably a Dutch settler from Valley, for even the strap-hinges on the front door are of Dutch Ficure 1. A cusp latch from South Egremont, Mass., 1238” over all. Handle-grasp has ins ornament at Dee dished and has C. L. ey hy Ficure ta. Bar, staple, and catch aes Bar, ark bee | Ficure 2. A swivel latch from Kingston, N. ae an over all. Thumb-press large and dished, with C. day Ficure 2a. Bae ye ee cree cusps. Te ee "SUFFOLK LATCH ES Three neers latches from the collection of Mr. w. | York City. Ficure 1. Resembles ine the latch of Plate e Inn, though the spear-point is more accented and the oval Latch is 16” over all. Thumb-press deep-dished. OL. Ficure 2. From the Slater homestead, West Stoc familiar type characteristic of the Housatonic Aue all. Thumb-press has C. L. end. Ficure 3. Another racniicaton of oe, ball New Fane, Vt., the i. Thumb terminating in a small Latch is 1358” over all. SE Soe mits & % ate PLATE 58 SUFFOLK LATCH ES Ficure 1. Latch from the door ae a house i in Westfield, so—a familiar type in that locality. Both door and latch” Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, it is 14 Plain bar. Cc. L. end. i Ficure 2. A rather unusual Masseehiaeere ‘ube | , with dominating upper cusp. It is 1434’’ over all. round, with C. L. (shown at left). Staple bar and c Plates 68, 70, et seq., for other dominating upper cusp Ficure 3. A Connecticut latch with tobacco-leaf century make, belonging to Mr. George Dudley. Conn. Latch is 154” over all. Thumb-press flat Ficure 3a. Bar plain—113@” over all. Staple and . Ficure 3b. Sectional view of lift and handle, rasp. L148} eer im, % wie, eat aes r oo 2 PLATE 59 SUFFOLK LATCH ES—HOUSATONIC TYPE This group of jaunty members of Finis or tulip, cype about the same period. i. ¢., the close of the eighteenth century. Ficure 1. A fiddle-back specimen from N sv over all. Thumb-press saucered, C. L. eg ae Figure 2. From a house in Greenville, N N.Y. —1792- + , the house having a “straight-lift” thumb-press, all othe: Latch, 14” over all. Figure 2a. The bar - was fitted with a grasp-button and : cured to an ornamental plate. Catch plain. = Ficure 3. Another Newburyport, Mass., production, Ficure’4. From Berlin, Conn. 1134” over all. Bar Catch braced. Ficure 5. From Bernardstown, Mass. 1800. qe Meena PLATE 664 4 SUPFOLK LATCHES Figure 1. From Veodne ee Martone sees sures 1034” over all. FiGuRE Ia. Pachdarts group of Figure t Pl, staple. Catch with supporting brace. Shiga ie thu t end. : Ficure 2. From the old Day House—17 s4—in | West Latch measures 1032” over all. | : Ficure 2a. Back-latch group ar Figs as similar Note unusual distance from lift end to staple. — Figure 3. Latch—13’" over all—from old se Pe Philadelphia, Pa. Ficure 3a. Back-latch group ae Nate $e: Hie + 2 plain, Catch has escutcheon plates S. L. See with hardware in place. rs t pa sae I Ls Iw oo. EP gas Rr es Sia eg he a ee i = 5 . ee a PLATE Ou, ay SUFFOLK LATCHES Ficure I. Hearhohane cusp specimen para : quarters at Newburgh, N. Y. Date about 1750. a Thumb-press has S. L. with end slightly modeled for be Ficure 1a. Bar, 634”. Staple plain. Figure 2. Rugged specimen from Shippen Mace ‘ N.J., dated 1740. Resembles Figure 1 on Plate ae Latch Ficure 2a. The bar and staple give decided with the Pennsylvania German workers near by, wh these members in like manner. Bar is 734" ov over all 72, pase I, and Plate ay. eS . F © #A ra Bal] Pinay i evn ; ‘ ae oh aw ih fae ae : 4 1 ve 5 wee ps ey Ere % ad or * ‘ cy ey “as Sp ER eo a ear oy le We Cera Pry ety my wees iy LT ay Al sp Pog Opa gr ‘ rs 1 er rea) 9 2 ee “