1. Milton Kropf, Interview with Steve Harrison, typescript,
1980.

2. “Dorothy Shally and William Bolton, Scotty’s Castle
(Yosemite, Calif.:Flying Spur Press, 1973), 9. Kropf ~
interview.

3. Photo F-75611. C. A. MacNeilledge, architecutral drawing,
"Addition to the Cook House, Death Valley Ranch," 17 January
1929, revised 16 April 1929, Death Valley Museum Collection,
uncataloged. Drawing shows original construction and 1929
additions,

4. Kropf interview.

5. Shally and Bolton, 11. M. Roy Thompson (MRT) to A.M.
Johnson (AMJ), letter 11 May 1927, A. M. Johnson Papers, MSS
5.

6. C. A. MacNeilledge (CAM) to AMJ, letter 11 October 1927.
7. Photos, Cat. No. 17874, 17875.

8. AMJ to MRT, letter 21 February 1927, MSS 5. Photo
Cat. No. 17874.

9. Photo Cat. No. 17875.

10. MRT to AMJ, letter 24 April, 1 May and 5 May 1929,
Death Valley Ranch Papers, MSS 7.

11. MRT to AMJ, letter 11 May 1929, MSS 7.

12, MRT to AMJ, letter 19 May and 6 June 1929, MSS 7.
Photo F-7512,.

13. MRT to AMJ, letter, 1 April 1930, MSS 5.

14, MRT to AMJ, letter 25 March and 1 April 1930, MSS 5.
15. C. A. MacNeilledge, architectural drawing.

16. MRT to AMJ, letter 19 February 1930, MSS 5.

17. MRT to AMJ, letter 27 January 1930.

18. MRT to AMJ, letter 30 March 1930 and AMJ to MRT, letter
17 January 1930.

19. MRT to AMJ, letter 16 January 1931.

20. Ibid.

14


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Figure 4


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Figure 7. Floor plan of the Cook House with the temporary
eating porch addition (reduced). Robert Haile, 1985.

31


space.!5 (see Chapter 4 for more architectural information)

MacNeilledge and the landscape architect, Dewey
Kruckeberg, planned the landscape treatment for the area
south of the Cook House and east of the Castle in early
1930. They terraced the hillside with native rock and
transplanted seven olive trees and three palms to this
location. !

The building did not have a good ventilation system, it
appears, for Thompson had trouble keeping his cooking crews
very long. He related to Mr. Johnson:

Have had to make another complete change in cook
house crew while you have been away. Present crew
seem well satisfied, but the heat gets most of
them in time.

By 1930, Death Valley was becoming something of a
tourist attraction. A new road had been built in the val-
ley, connecting Furnace Creek and Scottys Castle. Mr.
Johnson, possibly concerned about operational costs, asked
Thompson to keep track of visitors to the Castle, noting
those who ate at the Cook House. Thompson reported that an
average of forty to fifty people stopped each day. The
Castle seemed to be the main reason travellers drove through
the Valley. None of the visitors ate meals at the Castle at
that time, except the lucky few who Scott personally invited
in.

By 1931, travel had increased. Word had gotten out
that one could now drive to the "Castle” built by the famous
Death Valley Scotty. Mr. Thompson wrote:

Scotty left today for the south so as to get away
from all these tourists as he says they have been
running him ragged. It seems that when the public
knows he is here they come up in droves. Both
hotels in the Valley admit that practically every
guest coming to Death Valley comes primarily to
see Scotty and his Castle. These are the first
things they ask about when they arrive.

During the first two weeks of January, while Scotty was
in residence, Thompson reported that the cook had served 149
meals to visitors. He promised Johnson that while Scotty
was away they would serve no meals to visitors except in an
emergency. He warned Johnson, however, that when Scott was
present “it is a stock phrase of his to say “Well, Thompson,
you better take these birds up and feed them at the cook-
house. “"“"~.

By 1931, the affects of the depression began to be felt


Figure 20. East wall of Cook House Annex, showing repair
patches (ca. 1955) and plywood placed over areas of stucco
loss (1983). M. Lawrence, 1985.

44


Figure 12. Cook House, remodeling project nearing
completion, M. Roy Thompson photo.

36


Figure 11. Cook House remodeling, 14 Jun 1929. M. Roy
Thompson photo.

35




Figure 15. Floor plan of Cook House as currently used
(reduced). Robert Haile, 1985.

39


Figure 10. Cook House remodeling, at left. Showing insulex
in walls. M. Roy Thompson photo.

34


dining porch. A 21°x8° open shade porch at the southeast
corner and a 9°x7°6" chill box along the north wall (with a
3°6"x4° "doghouse" for the refrigerator components) were
also added. A 4°6"x6°6" bathroom with a water closet and
lavatory was added on the northwest corner of the building.
These additions increased the size of the Cook House by 500
sq. ft.

The interior of the dining room was modified during
this renovation. A small fireplace was added to the south-
west corner of the room. By replacing an existing window on
the north wall with french doors, interior access to the
dining porch was achieved.

The general appearance of the building was changed by
removing the flat ceiling in the dining room and replacing
it with an "open beam” ceiling, the elevation and design of
which carried into the new dining porch. A new roof was
constructed over the existing roof. The design now featured
a central gable roof with a pitch of 4"in 12" and four shed
roofs covering the sun porch, doghouse, cook’s quarters and
bathroom. The new gable roof consisted of 2x6 rafters on
16" centers with solid 1x6 sheathing and 30 1b. felt. The
shed roofs followed the same construction, except that 2x8
rafters were used. The entire roof was covered with Spanish
tile laid with a random exposure.

All exterior stucco was removed to facilitate the
pouring of "insulex," a water-activated insulating foam, in
the walls. The stucco removal also accommodated the tying
in of new additions. The new foundations and wall framing
was similar to the original, except in the dining porch
where the walls consisted of sliding and fixed wood sash
windows behind vertical spindles on 7" centers, resting on a
12" thick by 30" high framed wall.

The exterior walls were covered with expanded metal
lath covered with a portland cement scratch coat and brown
coat. Over these were two commercially packaged stucco
finish coats. The first finish coat consisted of a medium
brown layer, 3/8" thick, scratched vertically. A cream-
colored stucco was daubed on while the previous coat was
still tempered, creating an uneven blending of colors and
stucco to give a “weathered adobe” effect.

The floor plan of this 1929 project is Figure 8,
Appendix A.

References: Figures 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.

1938 Annex Construction:

17


Figure 5. Cook House with dining room extension of
sheetmetal, ca. 1928. Rhyolite school bell in foreground.

Daggett photo. @

29


Figure 19


SCOTTYS CASTLE COOK HOUSE

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT

Contents

Page
Administrative Data and Project Purpose 2
Archeological Data 4
Historical Data 6
Architectural Data 17
Existing Structural Conditions 20
Recommended Use and Treatment 22
Appendix A. Drawings and Historic Photographs 25

Appendix B. Historic Stucco Application: Technical Data 48
Appendix C. Evidence of Historic Furnishings 52

Bibliography 54


Figure 21.
photo, 1985.

South Wall of Annex to Cook House.

45

M.

Lawrence



4

Figure 20


Figure 22. Close up of Figure 21, showing failed stucco
under swamp cooler, south wall of Cook House Annex. M.
Lawrence photo, 1985.

46


Figure 1


21. MRT to AMJ, letter 22 February 1931.

22. Shally and Bolton, 10. Various letters, 1931, MSS 5
23. MRT to AMJ, letter 22 February 1931, MSS 5.

24, Shally and Bolton, 10.

25, Linda Nelson Ewing, interview with Susan Buchel, April
1985 and 29 May 1985. Personalities Collection, Vol 2,
Scottys Castle Reference Library.

26. Shally and Bolton, 23. Edith Giles Barcus, interview
with Susan Buchel 8 February 1984. Personalities Collection,
Vol. 2, Scottys Castle Reference Library.

27. Barcus interview. Mary Liddecoat, interview with Susan
Buchel 12 February 1983, Personalities Collection, Vol 1.
Scottys Castle Reference Library. Lloyd Davey, interview
with Steve Harrison, typescript, 1980.

28, Barcus interview. Photo F-3225.

29. Bob Haile observation.

30. Don Coughlin, interview 7 May 1984, Personalities Col-
lection, Vol. 2.

31. Mary Liddecoat, telephone interviews with Susan Buchel,
15 January and 20 February 1985.

32. Alfred Spadoni, interview 24 May 1983, Personalities
Collection, Vol. 1.

33. Liddecoat telephone interviews.
34, Ibid.

35. Don Creech, interview with Susan Buchel, 21 February
1985.

15


Chapter 5
EXISTING STRUCTURAL CONDITIONS
Stucco finish

Main Cook House Structure: The stucco is in gener-
ally poor condition with the exception of the south wall,
fronting the kitchen and chill box rooms. The stucco on the
remaining walls has suffered damage due to several factors:
(1) excessive moisture in the walls (due to improper place-
ment of evaporative coolers, the improper watering of adja-
cent plants, and accumulation of water-retaining erosional
debris against the building), (2) physical contact with
equipment, (3) possible building movement. (see figures 16
through 19)

Cook House Annex: The stucco on this building is of
avery poor quality but remains basically intact other than
the east wall which sustained fire damage sometime during
the Gospel Foundation period (figure 22). This wall was
repaired with extremely poor-quality materials and workman-
ship. The stucco colors and technique on this building
remain to be duplicated before any treatment can be made.

Redwood and related millwork

All exterior wood surfaces (including doors, windows,
structural and decorative timbers and millwork) have sus-
tained deterioration in the form of drying, splitting, dis-
coloring, or rotting. This damage has been due primarily to
environmental conditions,

Water damage on interior walls indicates that the buil-
ding at one time experienced roof leakage. Since no addi-
tional damage has occurred in recent years, the problem was
obviously corrected earlier.

Tilework
While the Cook House roof tiles remain generally

intact, numerous pieces along the roof lines are broken,
allowing the structural elements to show through.

19


Chapter 4

ARCHITECTURAL DATA

1924 Original Construction:

The original rectangular structure consisted of a total
of 723 sq. ft. with outside dimensions of 44°6"x 16°3",
divided into four rooms consisting of a dining room, kitch-
en, storage room and cook’s quarters. The foundation was a
monolithic concrete footing/slab combination. The walls
were 2x4 framed, with metal lath and an exterior portland
cement stucco finish of one scratch coat and a brown coat.
A conventional lime plaster constituted the interior finish.
The doors were of a stile and rail design with recessed
panels, and the windows were casement, single lite, wood
sash, with wood frame and sill. There were two sashes per
window.

The roof was constructed of 2x4 rafters on 16" centers
with a pitch of 1-1/2" in 12" from the center, terminating
at parapet walls with roof drains. The roof finish con-
sisted of metal lath with 3" of portland cement mortar, and
a coating of asphalt.

Figure 2 in Appendix A illustrates the floor plan of
the Cook House as constructed in 1924,

Reference: Figures 3, 4, 5, 6.

1927 Modification:

This modification added an 8°xl6° temporary dining
porch to the northeast corner of the building. Constructed
of wood framing with perimeter windows and shed roof, all
exterior surfaces were covered with corrugated metal.

Figure 7, Appendix A, shows the Cook House floor plan
as modified in 1927.

References: Figures 5, 6.

1929 Renovation:

This major renovation included the construction of a
15°9"x11° integral dining porch to replace the temporary

16


Figure 2, Floor plan of Cook House as built in 1924,
(reduced) Robert Haile, 1985.

26


box’s refrigeration unit and interior wall were removed, and
the space used for storage.

Within a short time, the Foundation also connected the
Cook House and the improved "annex" behind it by building a
breezeway from the storeroom, adding a doorway on the south
side of the annex. This allowed employees to move freely
between the annex ang, the kitchen without having to go
outside the buildings.

During the operation of the Castle by the Gospel Foun-
dation, the staff ate their meals in the newly-attached Cook
House annex. All cooking for the complex was done at the
Cook House. None of the rooms at this time were used as
quarters.

During the first few years of Gospel Foundation manage-
ment, it appears that guests were fed in the formal dining
room of the Castle. Visitation to the Castle increased
steadily in the early 1950s. The managers of the Gospel
Foundation found that they needed more space to feed the
overnight guests, and moved this function back to the Cook
House dining room. About 1953, they increased the size of
the Cook House dining area by removing the walls dividing
the dining room from the gining porch and the sun porch, and
enclosing the sun porch.?

Eventually the Gospel Foundation found that they needed
all available living space to house their staff as visita-
tion continued to increase after Scotty’s death in 1955. By
the early 1960s, they had discontinued offering overnight
accommodations, maintaining only a snack bar for daytime
visitors. They built an addition onto the Gas House near
the Castle tour gate to serve as a serving area for the
snack bar. The Cook House was then prly used for the prep-
aration and serving of staff meals.>

In 1970, the Gospel Foundation of California sold
Scottys Castle to the National Park Service. The operation
of the Castle, except major repair, was contracted to a
concessioner, the National Park Concession, until government
staffing could be provided. This organization gave the
Castle tours, maintained the facilities, and operated the
snack bar and gift shop. They prepared visitor snacks,
including baked goods, and staff meals in the Cook House
kitchen. The staff ate in the annex, while the public ate
in the snack bar addition to the Gas House.

The National Park Service took over the maintenance and
tour functions at Scottys Castle in 1973. The contract to
provide visitor meals and operate a gift shop was awarded to
Trans-world Airline Services, Inc.(TWA) that same year. TWA
used the Cook House to prepare food and provide meals for

12


Figure 2)


Figure 14. Scottys Castle, showing temporary eating shed,
ca. 1933. Photographer unknown.

38


2. Julian H. Steward, Basin-Plateau Aboriginal Sociopoliti- @
ca Groups. Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American
Ethnology Bulletin 120 (Washington, D. C.: GPO, 1938).



Appendix A. DRAWINGS AND HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS

24


Figure 17


Figure 18


Figure 19. East wall of Cook House showing stucco damage
below swamp cooler. M. Lawrence photo.

43


removed.

The Castle Staff interprets this statement to mean that
all structural features will be preserved. The equipment,
shelving, and cabinets added to the structure at unknown
times, however, can be removed if needed, once photographs
have been taken to document their type, color, size and
location.

Preservation Treatment Recommended

Stucco surfaces: The south wall, fronting the kitchen
and chill box rooms, can be retained with minor repairs,
providing an excellent example of the original historic
fabric. The remaining surfaces of the main structure,
having sustained major deterioration (figures 16 - 19) will
have to be removed, including the expanded metal lath. New
lath will be applied, and the surfaces will be restuccoed,
using the techniques described in appendix C. The annex
stucco can be left intact with the exception of the east
wall and the south wall between the west corner and window
(figures 20 - 22). The material covering these two areas
will also need to be removed and restuccoed,

Wood features: The Castle staff has submitted a pro-
posal to study the historict finish used on the Castles
redwood features and to develop the treatment currently
needed to preserve this material. Preservation treatment of
the Cook House woodwork should follow the guidelines deve-
loped at that time. This project is described in Project
Statement C-05, "Maintain Exterior Surfaces, Scottys Castle"
of Death Valley’s Natural and Cultural Resource Management
Program and 10-238 package no. 373.

Tilework: Broken roof tiles will be replaced with like
materials. Newly-installed tiles will be unobtrusively
marked "NPS" and dated.

Drainage: In 1984, the Castle staff received permis-—
sion to reestablish drainage behind and around the Cook
House. This work removed erosional debris from the Cook
House perimeter to a depth of about twelve inches. Mainte-
mance of this surface level will have to be programmed and
accomplished on a cyclic basis to keep drainage away from
the building.

Swamp coolers: Lack of proper maintenance has allowed
water to leak from the coolers and permeate the adjacent
stucco surfaces, Castle staff will carry out a preventive
maintenance program to eliminate this cause of deteriora-
tion, At the current time, the swamp coolers will continue

22


Micro-Chem
Laboratories

921 Kingfisher Drive @ San Jose, California 95125 © (408) 448-5221

9 August 1983

Death Valley National Monument
P.O. Box 569
Death Valley, CA 92328

Attn: Mr. John B. May

Re: Evaluation of Stucco Sample
Castle Structure, Death Valley Monument, CA
Order No. PX 8130-3-0524

In accordance with your written request of 28 July 1983, a
section of stucco was analyzed by petrographic (microscopic) and
chemical methods. The stucco specimen reportedly was obtained

rom the above referenced structure which was constructed during
the latter part of the 1920's. The objectives of these analyses
were to provide information relative to the identification and
proportions of the materials used in the stucco mix.

Test. Methods

Portions cf the stucco specimen were cut with a lapidary saw,
polished, and examined with a stereomicroscope. A thin section
(a slice of concrete mounted on a glass slide and reduced to 25 ym}
was prepared from one of the polished pieces and examined with a
polarizing light microscope to determine paste and aggregate
minerilogy. Estimated cement to sand ratios were based on comparison
to reference stucco specimens. Cement to sand ratios were also
determined chemically by the CaO versanate titration method. In
this method the total CaO content of the scratch and brown coatings
were determined. Aggregate contribution to the total CaO was assumed
te be negligible, based on the results of the petrographic examina-
ticn. All CaO was,therefore, assumed to be from the cementitious
materials (lime and cement). Lime or portland cement contents
could not be determincc separately due to the extensive carbonation
of the paste.

Petrographic Examination

1. The specimen consisted of four coatings: two finish coats, one
brown, and one scratch coat. The finish coatings each measured
approximately 1/16 in. thick. The brown and scratch coats
measured 5/8 in. and 1/4 in., respectively. A white coating
adhered to the back face of the scratch coating was not
includeé in this evalvation.

—@


Chapter 1

ADMINISTRATIVE DATA AND PROJECT PURPOSE

Death Valley Scotty’s Historic District, a National
Register property within Death Valley National Monument,
contains a number of structures that were built as a desert
retreat for Walter Scott and his benefactor, Albert M.
Johnson. The focus of this complex is the main residence,
known as the Castle, with its Spanish-Moorish architecture
The peripheral buildings, complementing this Spanish style,
were built to provide specific functions at the ranch. They
include the Stables, Cook House, Gas House, Garage, Guest
House, Chimes Tower, Power House, and Entrance Gate. Within
the complex are also a few sheds of frame construction. A
separate unit of the historic district is known as the Lower
Vine Ranch, separated from the Castle by eight miles. This
unit contains wood frame ranch structures in which Scotty
resided in seclusion.

Current preservation and management needs at Scottys
Castle require specific knowledge about the history and
architecture of one of these structures, the Cook House.
Although all the stuccoed Spanish-style structures in the
district require stabilization and preservation treatment,
the Cook House has become the focus of immediate attention.
The failure of this building’s stucco has been the most
severe within the complex. Since it is an outbuilding,
the Cook House would also provide the preservation craftsmen
with a pilot project before attempting to correct similar
stucco problems on the main Castle. Repair of this exterior
finish requires technical information about the historic
materials and application techniques as well as documentary
information about the dates of building modifications.

The Park Service staff currently uses the Cook House as
an administrative office. Given the many modifications to
the building’s interior, questions frequently arise whether
a particular interior feature is "historic." Without speci-
fic historical information, the questions remain unanswered
and the staff continues to work around protruding shelves,
stoves, sinks and other kitchen equipment.

Lacking a general Historic Resource Study or a compre-
hensive Historic Structures Report for the district, the
staff felt that the information currently needed about the
Cook House could be obtained by developing a Historic Struc-
ture Report that focused on that structure alone. The
Teport that follows is a synthesis of information found by




their staff just as the National Park Concession had.
Rather than using the lower snack bar, however, they fed the
visitors in the Cook House dining room during their first
operating season.

By the second season, a trailer had been brought in and
set up at the picnic area. Here the visitors were served
snacks. Some foods, like sandwiches, were made up ahead of
time in the Cook House kitchen. The staff continued to be
fed in the Cook House until their quarters in the
Garage/Motel building were remodeled into convenience apart—
ments in 1976. From that point on, only visiting TWA
officials or employees on temporary assignment to the Castle
were fed in the kitchen of the Cook House

The National Park Service staff also moved into the
dining room and the annex of the Cook House in 1977 to avoid
using rooms within the main Castle building. In order to
accommodate both the Park Service and TWA in different rooms
of the Cook House building, the kitchen was’ made accessible
to the TWA staff by way of the breezeway while the NPS staff
entered the annex and dining room by separate doors.

In order to provide all concession functions under one
roof and remove the non-historic snack bar trailer from the
site, the entire concession operation was moved to the
Garage/Motel unit in 1980, eliminating the need for any
space in the Cook House by Twa.3?

The National Park Service began to use the vacated
kitchen as office space once TWA moved to the Garage/Motel.
At the present time the Unit Manager, Interpretive
Specialist, Administrative Technician, Lead Park Technician
and Maintenance Mechanic Foreman have their offices in the
Cook House,

Summary

The Castle’s Cook House saw its greatest use during the
peirod of castle construction from 1924-1931, as the place
to prepare food for and feed the employees and visitors
wandering in. It enjoyed a second burst of activity about
1938 when the Johnsons again increased their staff as the
Johnsons opened the Castle to the public commercially. This
use was shortlived (1938-1941). When the Gospel Foundation
of California took over operation, the Cook House again was
used to prepare food for and feed employees and guests
(1948-1970). The National Park Service and its
concessioners have used the Cook House for food preparation
and serving as well as office space. The building’s cyclic
use reflects the overall history of the site but is not the
focus of the story.

13


Chapter 2

ARCHEOLOGICAL DATA

Grapevine Canyon, in which Scottys Castle lies, had
been the winter home of native inhabitants for centuries
before prospectors, homesteaders, and pleasure~seekers occu-
pied the land. This native group, a band of Panamint
Shoshones, centered their activities at Grapevine, but made
an annual circuit into the mountains and down into Death
Valley to use food sources as they became available.
Following such a subsistence pattern, their possessions were
few and served to aid in their food gathering activities.

This annual migratory pattern was interrupted by the
presence of prospectors and homesteaders. By the late nine-
teenth century, the Indians of Grapevine Canyon entered the
mining economy during parts of the year, often to supply
mining camps with wood or to drive wagons. Some families
began small agricultural plots in the canyon and at Mesquite
Spring, eight miles west.

Although the area immediately surrounding Scottys
Castle was a prime location for these families, the evidence
of their existence here has been eradicated by major
construction activities. In building the Castle structures
and planning for the landscape treatment, Albert Johnson
employed graders, earth movers and power shovels to excavate
and modify the contours of the grounds.

The Cook House sits on an incline within twenty feet of
the base of a mountain. In constructing the building, crews
had to manipulate the surrounding surface materials to a
depth of about twenty-four inches. In addition, erosional
materials are continually deposited along the uphill sides
of the building in the form of runoff during thunderstorms
or through the physical wearing of the rock above the
structure.

Due to these conditions, the presence of archeological
resources is highly unlikely in the area surrounding the
Cook House.

End Notes
1. William Wallace and Edith Wallace, Ancient Peoples and

Cultures of Death Valley National Monument, (Ramona, CA:
Acoma Books, 1978).



Death Valley Nationa. Mvsument
9 August 1983

Page 3

3. Chemically determined cement to sand ratio of the scratch and @
brown coatings was 1:3.15 which correlated well with the
microscopic estimate.

Recommendations

1. To produce stucco mixes similar to the submitted stucco
specimen, the following materials and proportions are recom-
mended based on the results of the petrographic examination,
chemical analyses, and current industry guidelines.

Cement, Lime. vol. of
Parts by Parts by Agg. per
Coating Portland Cement Volume Volume cem. + lime
Scratch & Brown Type I or II (low iron) 1 0-3/4 3
Finish Coat White 1 3/4-1 1/2 3
2. Color (pigment) of the finish coat should be determined

experimentally in conjunction with the above recommended mix.

3. Please see the attached copy of ASTM C-926, "Application of
Portland Cement Plaster", for further information.

Should any questions arise concerning the findings of this report
please contact the undersigned.

Respectfully Submitted,

MICRO-CHEM LABORATORIES

LAM

Robert C. O'Neill
Petrographer

Vd ea

Robert M. Kumagai
Chemist


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barcus, Edith Giles. Interview with Susan Buchel. 1984.
Personalities Collection, Vol. 2. Scottys Castle Refe-
rence Library.

Coughlin, Don. Interview. 1980. Personalities Collection,
Vol 2. Scottys Castle Reference Library.

Creech, Don. Interview with Susan Buchel. 21 Feb 1985.
Death Valley National Monument. Museum Collection.
Death Valley National Monument. Photograph Collection.

Death Valley Ranch Papers, 1925-1932. MSS 7. Scottys Castle
Reference Library.

Ewing, Linda Nelson. Interview with Susan Buchel. April
and 29 May 1985.

Kropf, Milton. Interview with Steve Harrison. Typescript.
1980. Scottys Castle Reference Library.

Liddecoat, Mary. Telephone Interview with Susan Buchel. 15
Jan 1985 and 20 Feb 1985.

Liddecoat, Mary. Interview with Susan Buchel. Typescript.
1983. Scottys Castle Reference Library.

Shally, Dorothy and William Bolton. Scottys Castle. Yose~
mite, Calif.: Flying Spur Press. 1973,

Spadoni, Alfred. Interview. 1983. Personalities Collection,
Vol 1. Scottys Castle Reference Library.

Steward, Julian H. Basin-Plateau Aboriginal Socio-political
Groups. Smithsonian Institute. Bureau of American
Ethnology. Bulletin 120. Washington, D. C.: GPO. 1938.

Wallace, William and Edith. Ancient Peoples and Cultures of
Death Valley National Monument. Ramona, Calif.: Acoma
Books. 1978.

54


This modification added a 23°6"x17° annex that had a
concrete footing/slab foundation and 2x6 framed walls with
stuccoed exterior and plastered interior applied to expanded
metal lath over 1x6 diagonal sheathing on the exterior. The
low-pitched roof was constructed of 2x4 rafters on 16"
centers, terminating at parapet walls with roof drains. The
roof was finished with red 90 1b. granular surface rolled
roofing. Due to fire damage to the east wall and roof in
the 1950s, a second roof was added, resting on top of the
parapet walls and constructed of 2x4 rafters with 3/4"
plywood sheathing, also covered with 90 1b. granular surface
rolled roofing .

The two coat stucco finish on this structure differs
from the 1929 stucco in color and application technique.
The base coat is more gray and the vertical scratches are
further apart. The top, or “bloth" coat is lighter, and
apparently was retempered during application, since the
surface in some areas is coarse and brushes off easily.

Figure 15 shows the Cook House floor plan with the
annex added.

Reference: Observation by Bob Haile, 1985. Mary Liddecoat
telephone interview, 15 February 1985.

18


@
SCOTTYS CASTLE COOK HOUSE
Historic Structure Report
@
Death Valley
National Monument/Arizona
"eo PLEASE RETURN TO:

B&W Scans
T-14-Z00STM





Figure 8. Floor Plan of Cook House after the 1929 remodeling
(reduced). Robert Haile, 1985.

32


this structure was being built, the crews ate meals prepared
in one of the tent frames on the hill.

The second structure, east of the two-story apartment,
was a single-story garage and workshop. This building had
several additional rooms that became the new cooking and
eating facility for the crew. On the hill near the old
tentframe cook shack, the crews built the last structure to
be added to the complex at this time. This building, which
became the Cook House, was completed in 1924. Figure 1 in
Appendix A shows the location of the three structures in
Grapevine Canyon.

As finished in 1924, the Cook House was a rectangular
structure with outside dimensions of 44°3" by 16°3" for a
total of 723 sq. ft. It was divided into four rooms
consisting of a dining room, kitchen, storage room and
cook’s quarters. The exterior of the building was given a
stucco finish of one scratch and one brown coat, and the
roof was covered with approximately three inches of portland
cement mortar with a coating of asphalt. (Chapter 4
contains a more detailed description of this structure’s
architectural features. See also figures 2, 3, and 4).

Soon after finishing this building, Kropf was "let go."
He had reportedly upset Mrs. Johnson at a religious service
by suggesting that some other religious view be heard
besides hers. It is uncertain whether his dismissal had
been precipitated by this incident or by lack of work upon
completion of the three ranch structures.

Shortly after the completion of these buildings, the
Johnsons decided to build a more elaborate vacation complex
in Death Valley, more in keeping with their personal tastes
and wealth. By 1926, they had hired a friend, M. Roy
Thompson, to serve as their construction supervisor and had
retained the services of C. A. MacNeilledge of Los Angeles
to redesign the existing structures and design several new
facilities. Building began later that year. By this time,
May of 1927, a Mr. Brown, one of the plasterers, moved into
the west room because it, was too hot for Mr. MacNeilledge’s
comfort when he visited.

The,main building, which was to have the appearance of
an eighteenth-century Spanish villa, was the focus of the
initial work. Thompson and MacNeilledge hoped to have the
major renovation of the two-story apartment building com-
pleted by the beginning of 1928. As activities increased to
meet this schedule, additional living space was needed for
the work crews. A temporary bunkhouse was built near the
garage to increase the sleeping area. They also built a
shed-like extension to the Cook House dining area to accom-
modate an additional six to eight men. The addition


Chapter 3

HISTORICAL DATA

Mr. Albert Johnson, a wealthy Chicago businessman,
began grubstaking Death Valley Scotty about 1904. Hoping to
get full control of Scotty’s mining interests, Johnson came
to Death Valley for the first time in 1906 to see Scotty’s
mysterious gold mine. That he ever saw Scotty’s mine is
doubtful, but what he found was a winter climate that
soothed his ailments, a companion who knew how to attract
attention by telling a tall tale, and a landscape that pro-
vided a constant challenge.

A trip to Death Valley became an annual event for Mr.
Johnson. He tried to get away from his busy life as the
National Life Insurance Company’s President for a month or
two each winter. Invariably, Scott met him, mules ready,
and the two headed out on an extended pack trip. Their
travels centered around Grapevine Canyon and Grapevine
Springs, one of Scott’s favorite haunts in Death Valley. By
1915, Albert Johnson began to acquire ownership of the land
in Grapevine Canyon by purchasing various peoples” interests
in the only recorded claim made originally by Jacob
Steininger in 1903. He also bought out several squatters”
claims. By 1917 Johnson had full possession of the land in
Grapevine Canyon.

Scott and Johnson used the shacks of the old Steininger
Ranch as their headquarters, adding a few tent frames for
extra storage area and sleeping space. Albert’s wife,
Bessie, began to accompany him on his Death Valley trips,
once living space was available. Within a few years, how-
ever, Scott and the Johnsons decided to build more permanent
structures in Grapevine Canyon

Johnson hired F. W. Kropf as his construction supervi-
sor, having met him on many trips to Deep Springs College
north of Death Valley, where Kropf had been employed. Kropf
began work in 1922, directing a half dozen men in the con-
struction of wood frame and stucco buildings to replace the
old tent frames.

They first built a large, two-story structure that
housed two apartments on the second floor for the Johnsons
and their friends. The first floor contained a storage
area, cooking facilities and an apartment for Scott. While


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Figure 6.

Castle construction workers in front of east wall

of Cook House, ca. 1928. Daggett photo.

30


Appendix C: EVIDENCE OF HISTORIC FURNISHINGS

While the interior of the main Castle building served
as the subject for frequent photographers, no such documen-
tation exists for the Cook House. Likewise, letters,
drawings, and invoices give valuable and detailed informa-
tion about the type and arrangement of the Castle furnish-
ings, but only scant mention is made of the furniture and
equipment installed in the Cook House. The museum collec-
tion at Scottys Castle contains thousands of pieces of
furniture, but only a few of these were used inside this
outbuilding on the hill.

The only extant information about the furnishings
during the time that the Johnsons vacationed at the Castle
is found in one letter between M. Roy Thompson and Mr.
Johnson. Thomspon reported that new dishes were purchased
from the Union hardware and Metal Co. of Los Angeles in
November of 1930 to replace the worn out set in the Cook
House.

While the Gospel Foundation operated the Castle, the
staff dining area was furnished with wooden tables. The
table tops had an inset of vinyl floor tile. The Johnsons
had shipped these tables from Chicago to Mrs. Johnson’s
family home at Walnut Creek when the Johnsons relocated to
California. The Foundation moved the tables from this loca-
tion to the Castle. In Chicago, Mrs. Johnson had belonged
to a charitable women’s organization that furnished inexpen-
sive meals for working women. These tables had furnished
that dining area. A dozen of these tables are still
located at the Castle, only one will be retained in the
museum collection for reference.

The Gospel Foundation first used long tables and
benches in the guest dining room, but these were found to be
awkward for the guests. They purchased smaller tables ang
wooden chairs with white upholstered backs and seats.
Twenty of these chairs can still be found on the Castle
site; one will be cataloged into the museum collection for
reference.

NPS-28, Cultural Resource Guideline, recommends that
a historic structure not be furnished for display unless the
structure is of primary interpretive significance, the fur-
nishings are well documented as to their type and arrange-
ment, and those furnishings can be acquired. Given the
scant information about the furnishings of the Cook House,

52




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to be used to provide for employee comfort. Staff will look
into the installation of a central air unit which could
eventually eliminate the need for the surface-mounted
coolers in the kitchen and annex.

23


Figure 17. Southeast corner of Cook House, horizontal
failure. M. Lawrence photo, 1985.

41


studying historical documents, photographs, and oral history
transcripts; interviewing Castle employees; and observing
current conditions.

Although the report focuses on that information which
will facilitate current management actions, all available
data about the Cook House has been presented, making this a
comprehensive history of the structure. Managers should be
able to answer future preservation questions about the Cook
House by reading this report, or should at least be satis-
fied that the document contains a synthesis of all documen-
tary materials available at the time of its writing.

The Cook House was included in Death Valley National
Monument’s List of Classified Structures in 1976 and given
the LCS number of SC-6. A National Register nomination for
the entire complex was prepared in 1976, and included the
Cook House as one of the historic structures. The district,
named the “Death Valley Scotty Historic District," was

placed on the National Register in 1978,

The LCS form and National Register nomination have the
building name spelled out "Cookhouse." Historic documents
contain several variations of the name, but the most con-
sistent and formal treatment was to divide the name into two
words, "Cook House.” This form is used throughout the
report and should be used in all future references.




the lack of knowledge about their arrangement, and the minor @
role the Cook House played in the overall story of Scottys
Castle, an interior furnishing project is not feasible.

End Notes

1. 9 January 1931, MSS 5

2. Mary Liddecoat, Interview with Susan Buchel, 17 March
1983, typescript, Scottys Castle Reference Library.

3. Mary Liddecoat, telephone interview, 15 January 1985.

53


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e@. Paste within both finish coats was fairly hard. The top (last)
finish coat was light brown. The first finish coat was medium
brown. Both coatings were well bonded to each other. Approx-
imately 15% of the aggregates were sheared on freshly broken
surfaces indicating moderately weak strength. The paste within
the scratch and brown coats was meGium gray and hard. Aggregate
shear was nearly 90% indicating a high strength stucco. No
cracks were cbserved in any of the coatings.

3. Cement to sand ratio for all coatings was estimated to be 1:3
parts by volume.

4. Aggregates within the finish coats consisted primarily of
quartz with minor amounts of feldspars. Maximum size aggregate
was approximately 0.5-0.75 mm. Aggregates within the scratch
and brown coats consisted of a wide variety of aggregates
including: basalt, quartz, feldspars, rhyolites, quartzite,
volcanic glass, and minor amounts of limestone. Maximum size
aggregate was approximately 3 mm.

5. The paste within the finish coatings contained white (no iron)
unhydrated portland cement particles. Finely divided crystals
of altered hydrated lime crystals appeared to be in the paste.
Hydrated lime or pigment contents could not be determined
petrographically. Unhydrated cement within the scratch and

r brown coatings appeared to be composed of a low iron and high
alumina portland cement. The presence of hydrated lime could
not be determined due to the carbonation of the paste.

Chemical Analysis
Results of the chemical analysis were as follows:

Sample CaO, & by wt. Cement(1) :Sand Ratio

Scratch & brown coatings 24.07 1:23.15
(1) Cementitious Materials
Conclusions

1. The two finish coatings appeared to be composed of white
portland cement, hydrated lime,and quartz sand. Cement to
sand ratio in these coatings was estimated to be 1:3. Each
finish coating measured 1/16 in. thick.

2. The scratch and brown coatings appeared to be composed of a
low iron portland cement and a natural sand. The presence of
a hydrated lime content could not be determined microscopically.
Estimated cement to sand ratio was 1:3. Scratch and brown
e coatings measured 1/4 in. and 5/8 in., respectively.


Figure 16. Southeast corner of Cook House, showing
separation of stucco from metal lath. M. Lawrence photo,
1985.

40


Figure 3




Figure 4. Cook House during Castle construction, 6 Feb
1927. M. Roy Thompson photo.

28


Figure 11


Interior Surfaces

Both the Gospel Foundation and the National Park
Service staffs have modified and/or damaged numerous inte-
rior features. The Gospel Foundation added swamp coolers to
the kitchen, annex and dining rooms by cutting holes in the
walls. They added a gas heater to the annex room. Interior
wood surfaces were treated with linseed oil, although the
original finish was probably similar to that in the main
Castle.

The National Park Service staff altered the swamp
cooler hole in the annex, and replastered the filled-in
space. The annex was given a false ceiling of acoustical
tile and fluorescent lighting. Nearly all plastered sur-
faces were covered with latex paint. A gas heater and
fluorescent lighting were added to the kitchen. The entire
building was rewired in 1980. The chill box was made
inoperative during the wiring project. Woodwork in the
dining room was gouged and nail holes were enlarged when it
was improperly removed and replaced during the project.

The Park Service removed the severely deteriorated east
door and made a replacement, using hardware found on the
site but not original to that particular door. A door to
the annex entryway was added by the Park Service.

Both organizations have installed several racks,
shelves and cabinets on the wall surfaces. Electrical and

telephone runways, outlets and switches have been surface-
mounted.

Structural Elements

Though not thoroughly investigated, the foundation and
framework appear to be structurally sound.

20


Figure 13. Architectural Drawing by C. A. MacNeilledge,

"Alteration to the Cook House,
and Scott, California." 1929.

37

Death Valley Ranch,
Two pages. (reduced)

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42


at the Death Valley Ranch. Johnson’s personal fortune had
been greatly diminished by the failures of the businesses in
which he had invested heavily. By 1931, he felt forced to
follow the national trend of reducing his workers” salaries
and limiting the scale of his Death Valley Ranch operation.
He felt that the best way to reorganize his crew would be to
close down the entire operation. He would then be free to
rehire fewer workers at a lower rate of pay. He ordered
Thompson to close the Ranch operation temporarily in Febru-
ary of 1931.21) When they started the operation again a few
weeks later, it was on a much smaller scale to wrap up a few
projects. By August, construction had halted with the ranch
plans about eighty percent complete.

The depression, however, had not yet slowed the traffic
to this new attraction in Death Valley by 1931. About 100
visitors a day drove through the Grapevine Canyon during a
holiday in February of that year. Since the Cook House had
been closed down along with the rest of the Death Valley
Ranch operation, no meals were served.

In the Spring of 1931, Scotty moved down to the cabin
Johnson had built for him at the Lower Vine Ranch. He made
appearances at the Castle nearly every day, often taking his
evening meal with the Johnsons.

Johnson maintained only a household staff numbering a
half dozen at the Death Valley Ranch through most of the
19308, since legal problems, as well as his financial
setback, kept work on the Castle project at a standstill.
An error in an 1885 survey of the Death Valley area threat-
ened his ownership of Scottys Castle. He was forced to
appeal to Congress to rectify the problem. The issue was
finally resolved in 1935 after Congress ordered a patent
issued to him for the correct land description containing
Scottys Castle.2

About this time the Johnsons moved from Chicago to
enjoy semi-retirement in California. They purchased a home
in Hollywood, but began to spend most of their time at the
Castle, returning to Southern California for short periods.
They found that the public still clamored to see their
desert home made famous by Death Valley Scotty. In 1934
they gave in to continual pressure to open the interior of
their home to the public and Bessie Johnson began to give
informal tours of the main Castle and Annex. A young
houseguest, Linda Nelson, helped Mrs. Johnson by showing the
guests the second floor of the structure. Visitation varied
from about 30 people on busy holiday weekends to no visitors
for several days during the summer.

These visitors, unlike those earlier, were not invited
to join the Johnsons for dinner. The Johnsons” meals were


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Figure 12





well as through an exterior door. The lavatory was moved
from the east to the north wall to allow for the interior
door, necessitating the relocation of the exterior door to
the west wall.

At some undetermined point, the storeroom of the Cook
House was expanded one more time by extending the north and
west walls. The exterior stucco of this addition differs
from any of the earlier or later finish work in both quality
and color, indicating that the modification was made some
time between 1938 and Mr. Johnson’s death in 1948.7

The coming of World War II, the death of Mrs. Johnson
in 1943, and Mr. Johnson’s failing health aborted their
plans to make Scottys Castle a public showplace. Mr. Johnson
visited his desert retreat rarely after 1944. The Castle
once again fell into a quiet period, with only a caretaking
staff in residence.

A couple, watching the Castle for a few weeks in May of
1945 while the managers were on vacation, recalled that the
cook, Rosamond, lived in the Cook House. During this par-
ticular period, no one else was around, staff or visitors,
except Mr. Johnson. Mr. Johnson ate his meals with the
caretakers and the cook in the Castle dining room, taking
breakfast in his bedroom.

Mr. Johnson had made provision for the maintenance of
Scottys Castle after his death through the creation of the
Gospel Foundation of California. This organization was
deeded the Castle as part of the Johnson Estate, with the
mandate to use the Johnson resources to forward charitable
works. Along the line of the Johnsons” idea of the late
1930s, the Foundation managed the Castle as a tourist
attraction. They provided guided tours and soon offered
meals, lodging and souvenirs.

Shortly after reactivating the visitor services at the
Castle, the Gospel Foundation found that modifications were
necessary in order to use the Cook House for all food prep-
aration and service. Finding the kitchen too crowded for
both cooking and dishwashing, they removed the sink from
this middle room and installed it or a replacement in the
expanded storeroon.

The Cook House chill box also proved too small for
their needs in feeding visitors and staff. First they tried
to reactivate the refrigerator room in the Annex of the
Castle, but found it too inefficient to transport food
between the Castle and the Cook House when preparing meals.
They conwerted the former cook’s bedroom of the Cook House
into a refrigerated room, increasing the storage capacity by
48 square feet over the original chill box. The old chill

11


SCOTTYS CASTLE COOK HOUSE

HISTORIC STRUCTURE REPORT

prepared by Susan Buchel, Museum Curator
and Robert Haile, Maintenance Mechanic
Death Valley National Monument

July, 1985


Figure 3. Cook House nearing completion, ca. 1924.
Photographer unknown.

27








Figure 9. Cook House remodeling project showing temporary
eating shed at far right. M. Roy Thompson photo.

33


Figure 1. Albert Johnson’s Death Valley Ranch, ca. 1924.
Cook House at far right on hill. Photographer unknown.

25


Figure 5


Chapter 6

RECOMMENDED USE AND TREATMENT

Future Use of the Castle Cook House

The historical section of this report substantiates
that the Cook House has basically served its original pur-
pose throughout its history. It has been used as the pri-
mary meal preparation and serving area for the Castle staff
and visiting public, while two of the rooms have also served
at various times as employee’s quarters. These two func~
tions, while necessary to the operation of the Death Valley
Ranch, are not the primary focus of interpretation. The
lack of furnishings (see Appendix C), or knowledge of their
type and placement, and lack of information about the histo-
ric operation of the Cook House hamper detailed interpreta-
tion of the building’s interior. The National Park Service
will, therefore, interpret the Cook House from the exterior
only, using the self-guiding tour of the Castle grounds as
the primary media.

The exterior features of the structure will be main-
tained to preserve its historic appearance. According to
NPS-28, this includes additions or alternations made to the
structure through time which "have significance in their own
right." By the evidence presented in this report, the
historic period for the structures at Scottys Castle will
be considered to encompass Scotty’s lifetime. Therefore,
the 1938 annex and alterations made by the Gospel Foundation
prior to 1954 will be treated as part of the historic
appearance.

The interior of the Cook House, while not crucial to
the interpretation of the site, contains space that can
easily be adapted for use by the Park Service Staff. The
staff has used this building for offices since 1977, and it
is recommended that this adaptive use be continued. In
using the structure, the staff will take care to maintain
the interior features to the standards set forth in NPS-28
for adaptively used historic structures. According to NPS-
28,

The distinguishing qualities or character of a
stricture and its environment must not be des-
troyed. Historic material or distinctive archi-
tectural features are not to be altered or

21


extended the east wall of the Cook House approximately eight
feet and featured rows of windows. The exterior walls and
roof were covered with corrugated sheet metal.’ (see figures
5 and 6, and Chapter 4).

A 1928 photograph (fig. 6) of the workers standing
beside the Cook House shows that the building retained the
original stucco finish that did not match the new finish of
the Spanish-style buildings on the site, which by now had
come to be known as “Scottys Castle." Mr. Johnson wrote
Thompson that he eventually wanted the outside of the Garage
and the Cook House stuccoed in the pattern of the Castle.

A big bell, taken from the ghost town of Rhyolite, had
been placed on the ground at the southeastern corner of the
building, perhaps to call the men to meals.

With the major work on the main Castle structure
completed and work progressing well on the Guest House,
MacNeilledge finished the drawings for the other
out buildings: the Stables, Chimes Tower, Garage, and Cook
House. Thompson had the Cook House plans in hand by April
of 1929 (fig. 13). Before work could begin on the Cook
House, a temporary box-like "eating shed" was, constructed
behind the northwest corner of the Cook House.

By mid-May, Thompson could report to Johnson that the
"Cook House is being rebuilt rapidly"! By June it was the
only major structure on the grounds remaining to be
plastered, but its walls had been insulated with a material
called "insulex" and lathed in preparation for finishing.
Crews laid the roof tile at this time. (fig.11)

By October the men were taking meals in the newly-
remodeled and expanded Cook House, and the cook had returned
to the west bedroom. They found the "temporary shed" useful
for storage and quarters so they left it standing upon
completion of the Cook House project (fig. 12).1

In planning the Cook House remodeling project,
MacNeilledge did not include space for the compressor of the
new refrigeration unit. When the Kelvinator representative
came to the Castle in September of 1929 to install the new
refrigerators in the Castle and Cook House, he could not
complete the job. Thompson had to quickly add a “doghouse”
extension to the cold storage room, which Mr. Brown was
plastering by March of 1930.2

When completed, this 1929 Cook House remodeling project
added a larger integral dining porch, an open shade porch, a
cold storage box and a bathroom with water closet and
lavatory. This added 500 square feet to the original
structure, for a total of 1223 square feet of useable


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Appendix B: HISTORIC STUCCO APPLICATION; TECHNICAL DATA

By March, 1985, the research to ascertain historic
materials and stucco application technique of the 1929 reno-
vation includes (1) a scratch, brown and finish coat consti-
tuent analysis, (2) a first attempt at color duplication
with further research and development taking place by L. M
Scofield Co. of Los Angeles, and (3) the development of two
test panels.

The test panels consist of 4°x6” 2x4 frames with
expanded metal lath. The scratch and brown coats are of a l
part no.II portland cement, 1 part lime, and 3 parts local
screened aggregate mixture. The finish coats are composed
of 1 part white portland cement, 1 part lime, and 3 parts
no. 20 silica sand, with the pigment percentage formula to
be based on a 96 1b. sack of white cement.

All finish coat components are thoroughly mixed dry,
then the maximum recommended amount of clean water is added.
The finish base coat is applied 1/4"-3/8" thick, covering
approximately 20 sq. ft or less, depending on by environmen-
tal drying conditions. The surface is scratched vertically
using a scarifier with round tines, spaced approximately
3/8" apart. While this coat is will well tempered, the top
or "blotch" coat is applied, brushing the entire surface
with clean, soft, wet brush and then working the surface
with a clean trowel to obtain a smooth, tight, glazed sur-
face on the top coat which will generate a moderate blending
of colors around the edges.

The lab report evaluating the chemical constituents of
the stucco follows this narrative.

47


Figure 9


Figure 10


private affairs with only Scotty, Linda, and Mr. Johnsons
geologist, Kenneth Newell, joining them in the Castle dining
room. The Johnsons” meals were also prepared in the main
house kitchen.

The use of the Cook House during the years between 1934
and 1937 is not known for certain. The staff ate separately,
either in the Cook House or in the kitchen of the main
house. Their meals could also have been prepared in either
location, The two houseboys on the 8 £ probably lived in
the living area within the Cook House.

The Cook House, therefore, appears to have been used
very little during this period. Meals were most likely
prepared in the main Castle kitchen for both the Johnsons
and their staff. The mid-1930s was a more casual and inti-
mate period at the Castle ~- despite the occasional visitors.

At the end of the decade, still enjoying semi-
retirement and having resolved some of their business diffi-
culties, the Johnsons decided to open the Castle to the
public on a more structured basis. In 1938 they hired Mr.
and Mrs. Cadogan (the daughter and son-in-law of a close
friend) to provide guided tours and collect a small fee.
They also increased the household staff by hiring up to 14
Filipino houseboys and a Chinese cook. In order to make the
complex have a more finished look, a small work force was
also hired.?

Accounts differ as to where meals were prepared and
eaten at this time. Mrs. Cadogan remembered that the
cooking was all done in the Castle kitchen. The staff ate
in a location apart from the Johnsons or the guests, but she
did not state exactly where - possibly the dining area of
the Cook House. Miss Liddecoat, a family friend who
visited the Castle in the 19308, remembered that the staff,
numbering at least a dozen, ate in the Cook House, but she
did not mention where the food was prepared. Lloyd Davey, a
maintenance employee from 1941 to 1944, recalled “everyone”
eating in the Cook House. He probably meant all the
ataff.27

The temporary shed behind the Cook House had become a
useful space, so the work crew revamped this building into a
more permanent annex as one of their projects. Photographs
date this work to the period between 1937 and 1939, while
Mrs, Cadogan recalled that she and her husband lived in this
back room for the duration of their stay at the Castle, from
1938 to 1940. These pieces 4h evidence date the completion
of the annex to 1937 or 1938.7

From the appearance of the stucco, the bathroom was
remodelled at the same time to provide access from inside as

10