A Dutch Colonial Farmhouse of 1750

The Marbury House - A Dutch Colonial Farmhouse of 1750

Hi friends. This is the fourth in my series of blog posts on gambrel or Dutch roof houses. The first two and this one are early American examples, and one was a Colonial Revival plan from the 1920s. I decided to add this one because it differs in one important way. It is proportioned so that it allows 2 rows of rooms, one row facing front and the other facing back. The previous examples had attics that were effectively just one room deep.

The Marbury House, Clinton, Maryland - 1750

The Dutch roof is ideally suited to fit over a rectangle and doesn't adapt well to L-shaped plans. Typically wings get their own separate roofs, usually not a gambrel. The proportions of the typical rectangle can vary from long and shallow to almost square. When a plan is approaching a square and the depth starts to exceed 24 feet, it becomes practical for a gambrel roof to allow rooms facing front, as well as rooms facing back. This can be really useful especially in houses were more bedrooms might be desired.

The Marbury House - Floor Plans

This example, the Marbury home in Clinton, Maryland, dates 1750 and provides a fine example of this deeper type of plan. At a little over 28' deep it comfortably allows for 4 full bedrooms on the upper level. It is effectively a complete 2 story house, but maintains the lower proportions of a single story.

The Marbury House - Elevations

The Marbury House also provides an excellent example of a porch that is well integrated into the design.

The Marbury House - Details

The Marbury House - Details

The drawings posted here, prepared by the excellent drafts people at the Historic American Building Survey (HABS) include many fine details of interior woodwork as well. Printed copies of the drawings of this beautiful example of a Colonial gambrel roof home, are available at my eBay store.

The Marbury House - Entry Hall

This and other gambrel roof homes can be found in the Historic Home Plans eBay store.

The Marbury House - Dining Room

All the images in this blog post are public domain and come from the HABS website.

A Colonial Revival Gambrel Roof Home of the 1920s

The celebrations around the 1876 Centennial jump started an interest in all things Early American, architecture chief among them. This Colonial Revival reached its peak in the first decades of the 20th century, gracing our country with homes built along practical, simple lines, in a unified but infinitely varied style based on Palladian and Classical precedents.

In the last 3 blog posts we looked at 2 original Colonial and Early American examples of the gambrel or Dutch roof home, ranging from a cottage just one room deep, to a rambling farmhouse with plenty of space in its wide attic.

Dover Publications reprint of some of the plans made by ASHSB

In this post we'll see the gambrel roof used in a Colonial Revival home of the 1920s, from a pattern book of the time.

The Architects' Small House Service Bureau (ASHSB) started in 1919 as a joint effort among a group of architects to design and publish practical small home designs. Their work helped to spread good quality home design across the country at a time when there was major growth in home construction. The results of their efforts are visible in the pleasure people today have for the homes of the early 20th century.

Design 5-B-10 of the ASHSB

The plan comfortably accommodates a spacious living room, separate dining room, and a built-in kitchen containing all the conveniences that were to become the norm in the 20th century. It also had a dining porch to one side.

The upper level, in the expanded attic space enabled by the gambrel, contained a full bath and 2 bedrooms that were comfortably large for the period.

Floor Plans

The use of shed dormers to expand the attic space results in a design that is effectively almost a full 2 stories, while maintaining the lower lines and proportion of a single story home. The lovely ink rendering of the exterior shows it sensitively integrated into its surroundings with landscaping that softens edges and provides a seamless transition from street to home.

Exterior Perspective

Very little would need to be done to adapt a design such as this to modern day requirements. The design shows a stair descending to a basement. If this house were built without a basement the space under the stairs could serve as a powder room off the back entry. Enclosing the porch in glass might be desirable in many parts of the country where weather does not permit for outdoor living during much of the year.

Gambrel Roof Cottage at Eltonhead Manor

Nothing is known about the builder of this lovely little house buried in the woods at Little Cove Point, Maryland. But based on its construction it dates from the pre-1776 period. By 1913 it had been abandoned and when measured in 1925 it was rapidly falling into ruin. Some of the fine paneling and the staircase, documented in these drawings, were donated to the Baltimore Museum of Art in 1925. By now this lovely cottage must long have succumbed to the elements and returned into the earth of the forest from which its timbers were originally cut.

All photos and drawings are from the Historic American Building Survey

Copies of the full set of drawings are available at my eBay store.

Living Room paneling now on display at Baltimore Art Museum

The cottage was built of a simple timber frame over a stone foundation. Unfortunately, when documented, no information about the timber frame itself was recorded. However the interior wood paneling was carefully measured. The exterior walls appear to have been framed in posts about 4 inches thick. The interior partitions have no stud work and are simply wood panels directly attached to the floor and ceiling.

First Floor and Attic Floor Plans

Elevations and Section

The gambrel roof attic is divided into 3 communicating bedrooms, each with dormers.

Wood Paneling in Living Room

The chimneys are freestanding, separated from the walls. This was probably to reduce risk of fire.

Living Room, View from Fireplace towards Entry

Silas Wood House - a Colonial Gambrel Roof Home

Here's a beautiful old place. It's the Silas Wood house. What a great name ... Silas Wood. Sounds like a character out of a Nathaniel Hawthorne novel. He comes from Hawthorne's same neck of the woods, coastal Massachusetts. 

All photos and drawings are from the Historic American Building Survey

The house is a lovely example of a Colonial style farmhouse, built up piecemeal, over time, with a massive hearth and chimney at the center of it all, exuding warmth and coziness. The chimney has the date 1771 on it. But the central chimney location, the construction of the gable windows, stone foundation and and the low ceiling of the ground floor suggest at least parts of the house may date from earlier in the century.

Ground Floor Plan

Copies of the full set of architectural drawings are available at my eBay store.

Silas Wood was Middleborough, Massachusett's only shopkeeper. He passed the house on to his grandson, Abiel, who took over the shop as well. Abiel went into business partnership with one William Andrews, who in turn married Maria Wood. I'm guessing that Maria may have been Abiel's sister. Perhaps this was when the single story addition, which is a virtual house of its own, was added on.

Front and Rear Elevations

Side Elevations

The main house is a perfect example of the gambrel roof, or Dutch barn roof, arranged to provide additional headroom in the attic story to allow for usable bedrooms. The addition follows the lines of a Cape Cod house, with a lengthier roof slope at the rear.

Gambrel roof gable end

Entry Porch of the later addition

Mantelpieces and trim details

Shadows on the Teche - a Greek Revival Classic of Southern Design

Shadows on the Teche -

Once seen it is never forgotten, hidden among the moss-draped live oaks, rooted, serene and calm along the banks of Bayou Teche. Eight massive double story columns shelter the porch which stretches its entire width. The brick walls beyond disappear into the shadows.

Shadows on the Teche - Front (street) Elevation

Shadows began life in 1832. Its designer is unknown. Its brick walls, made from local clay, were probably raised by the efforts of the 150+ slaves who worked the estate. But the history of its owners goes back further.

The Swazie family, Royalists, backers of King James I during the Cromwellian revolution, fled to the colonies upon Cromwell’s victory, eventually settling in New Jersey. William Weeks, recently arrived from England and settled in Maryland, married a member of the Swazies. During the American Revolution the Swazies again sided with the King and after defeat they resettled in the Felicianas, young William Weeks and his wife moving with them.

Shadows on the Teche - Garden Elevation facing Bayou Teche

The families eventually owned several estates across Louisiana and when William died, his son David inherited the properties. One of these estates was conveniently located next to the town of New Iberia and the Bayou Teche. David and his wife Mary chose this 158 acre tract to build the extraordinary we see today.

Shadows on the Teche - 2-story porch with screens

But tragedy struck and within 2 years of its completion David Weeks died, leaving Mary behind with several children. The widow, Mary weeks later remarried but kept the estate in her and her children’s name, rather than in the name of her new husband. Louisiana law, based on French precedents, allowed for this. This was not the last tragedy to strike the family though. Two of her children died in the 1856 Last Hurricane disaster.

During the course of the Civil War the family remained strong supporters of slavery and secession. Mary died in 1863, while the house was occupied by Union soldiers. Her son William, the sole heir, was able to restore some of the family’s fortune after the war, but in succeeding generations the estate was gradually sold off until only the 2 ½ acres that remain today were left.

Shadows on the Teche - Front Elevation

Shadows on the Teche - Porch stairs

Shadows’ builder is unknown but the house bears many similarities to its contemporary, Chretien Plantation 40 miles away. Very likely the same builders and craftsmen were involved. The quality of both the design and execution are very high.

The floor plans of both mansions are very similar and follow French and Creole precedents, with 3 rooms arranged in a row across the front, while behind these are 2 rooms separated by a porch. In both houses the porch was built as a fully enclosed space, serving as the main entry facing the river.
The columned elevation faces the main road.

Shadows on the Teche - First Floor Plan

Centered on the river side is a spacious entry hall with three sets of French doors opening out onto the garden. The opposite face of the hall leads directly to the drawing room, the most spacious and elegant room in the house. With the doors of both rooms left open, breezes would pass through the house on hot, humid days, cooling the shaded interiors.

Shadows on the Teche - Second Floor Plan

Shadows on the Teche - Drawing Room

With its beautifully executed Greek Revival detailing and its skillful connection to the surrounding landscape, Shadows on the Teche remains one of the finest surviving examples of Antebellum architecture anywhere in the USA.

Shadows on the Teche - Architectural Details

Shadows on the Teche - Architectural Details

Shadows on the Teche - Architectural Details

Shadows on the Teche is open to visitors.


All drawings and photos are from the Historic American Building Survey (HABS) archive.

To purchase full size printed architectural plans please visit HistoricAmerican Homes at eBay.