The original part of the house was built in 1870.  Trees were cut on the property and hand hewn into beams and boards.  Bricks were made on the property by an old black man.  Typical of farm house construction in the day, Stones were piled at intervals along the ground and the 12" by 12" oak beams laid across them.  The floor was only about 12 inches off the ground.  At that time, plumbing was not an issue.  Most of the vertical beams were also oak, which was good since they resisted termite damage.  The floor joists were pine, and sustained a lot of termite damage.  About 50% of the band boards were also damaged and had to be replaced. 
     The exposed beams were made mortise and tenon style, and used wooden pegs.  The walls had no insulation whatsoever, and held many surprises such as the honey combs in the ceiling, mouse skeletons, mud dauber nest, old vines and the debris that had seeped in for well over a century.  The hand made bricks in the hearth in the fireplace in the upstairs bedroom was laid on a dirt bed supported only by a few boards.  Roger was lucky not to get hurt when he pulled theceiling beneath it down!