On 8/11/2019 2:56 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Sunday, August 11, 2019 at 1:30:23 PM UTC-4, dpb wrote:
....

What was the access to the cavities in that house? Doesn't seem like
should been that open w/ brick unless was balloon framing? Or had the
brick wall been added later on and just covered up existing old open
woodshed maybe?

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I don't know the history of the house. It was owned by a co-worker's
grandparents and I made a few trips out there to help tear down an old
out building that had become a danger, haul some wood from the "back forty",
etc. There was usually a family gathering after the work was done, so
I knew most of my friend's family. When Grandma passed, his mom and dad
moved in and renovated the place as their retirement home. When extra hands
were needed, I lent them mine.

My guess is that the critters found their way into the woodshed, which was basically open to the outside even if it was walled in brick, then
eventually under and up into the house.

I recall that the floor of the woodshed was well below the floor of the
kitchen. You had to go up a few steps on the front and side of the house
to get in, but you walked right into the woodshed from the ground. That's
how the guys had access to the underside of the fireplace. I remember
looking down on them from the kitchen door as they pounded away at some
huge beams with sledgehammers.

Makes sense and about what I had kinda' surmised must've been the case.
Stuff like that not at all uncommon in those days...

This was at least 20 years ago, so I don't recall all of the details. I do
recall that the coal fire furnace still used a screw feeder. At least I think
it still used it. I know for sure that it was still there because my buddy explained to me how it worked. I grew up in NYC, so all this farm stuff was
still pretty new, and therefore very interesting, to me. ;-)

I never saw the original steam boiler in this house before the
conversion to NG so not sure how it was fed while still on coal.

Dad, being the first of the children born on the farm (third overall)
used to say he was "born in the coal room" because the house was as yet
unfinished and they were living in the basement while remainder was
being built at the time he was born. The room that was used ended up
being the coal bin for a while after the house was done and the family
moved upstairs...

But the first main pipeline was laid across the pasture just to the SE
of the house within 10-15 years and grandpa got a tap as part of the
right of way deal and converted well before I was born probably another
15-20 years anyways. Initially, all of those allowed cost-free gas for
domestic use but that got broken by the successor company of the
original almost 30 year ago now. Never could see how they could be
allowed to do that, but the courts said it was legal through some
loophole in how the contracts were written. I wasn't home at the time
so don't know all the tricks they pulled nor how much was paid to whom.

At least so far, they haven't threatened to pull the connection itself.

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