The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-05-04
Oldest Frame House in United
States.

The old Quaker Meeting House, IN
Easton Maryland. is among the Old
est. il not the Oldest, frame building
standing in the United States, writes
William c. Poole in tlle American
Forestry Magazine. An occasional
replacing of the shingles on the roof
and replacing Of some of the weather
boarding, is all the repairs It has had.
It's frame, inside wood work, ana
some of the weatherboarding are the
same as when built about the same
time that William Penn. who visited
the building, was trading with the IN
dians and laying out Philadelphia
The white population Of the entire
country then was not half as many as
now live in one of its third-ciasS
cities.
This quaint old house claims dis
tinetion as one of the Oldest buildings
in the United States, as it was erected
in 1888. It is interesting to note thai
this was the first place Of worship at
tended by Mrs. A. Mitchell Palmer,
whose parents live on the Same Mary
land farm where her ancestors lived
vixen they htlped to build this. meet
ing house.
The old. contract for the building
reads. ITO. agree. with ye carpenters
fer ye building Of ye said house 80
foote long and A foote wide, and TO
be strong, substantial framed work,
with good white oall siils and small
3oyst; ana ye ;ifpper floors to be LAID
with plank: and ye roof to he double
raj afttered. and good principal raftefs
every ten foote,. and to be double
studded beiow, and to be well bracec.
and windows convenient, and shutters.
and good large e-stairs into ye cham
berg, which chambers are to be forty
foote square at each end OF ye house,
and twenty foote between them, ana
for other convenienccs to be left to
direction OF ye aforesaid friends
Any builder Will wonder how these
good folks could build two rooms
fo~ty foot square with twenty feet be-
tween them in a building sixty feet
long. But the contract is clear and
the building is open for inspection TO
see it.
The only prcservative on the wood
has been old fashioned white wash on
the outside Seven OF the origin&!
plank seats and the wood work inside
have had no paint whatever. White
oak, white pine, cypress and Southern
pine from the maryland forests OF
those days were the woods used. They
seem in rs good condition as when
first used, except the roof shingles and
some of the weather boarding which
have been occasionally replaced.
II there is an older building Of wood
N the United States-standing where
II was built without any additions or
subtractious, or changes, and with an
anbroken authentic record, year by
year Of IT'S entire history for twenty
| four decades-the American Forestry
! Magazine writer says he has failed to
find it. Others like Paul Revere S
House in Boston are restored and like
the Old ship Church at bingham,
!, Massachusetts, have had additions OF
alterations. though some Of the oriSi
ma! lumbe~ still remains.
Certain this plain building, ir
which have worshipped many OF the
leading people OF Maryland Cor nearly
! 340 Years from the days Of Lord Bar
,imore and William Penn. down &c
the present time, situated on beauti-
ful slope in quiet restful grove OF
Tod trees is worth the time and trouble
of a visit. Although the congregation
which owns it is one Of the wealthies'
in Maryland, 10 price could purchase
or change this historic place OF wor'
shin oc their fathers. II remains {
beautiful remnan; Of the Colonia
davs of noariy .wo and Il half cen
turies ago.