Once it was known that a dresser was installed in the kitchen instead of just shelves, the ca. 1812 carpenters' bill was searched again to see if it held additional information on the dresser. After the search two items were found that appeared be related to the dresser. The first was a reference to 35 feet of "ceiling." Ceiling in this case did not refer to the actual ceiling of the kitchen but instead meant covering boards laid over a room's walls. Tellingly, the exposed section of brick found in the kitchen measured approximately 35 square feet and provided more evidence that boards had been mounted to the wall. Secondly, a reference to a "large kitchen table with drawers" was also determined to be associated with the dresser. This reference was especially important because drawers were rarely found on dressers in the early 19th century, and so if drawers had not been listed in the bill, the Restoration Team would have never incorporated them into the design of the reconstructed dresser.
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A page from the ca. 1812 bill that carpenters Dinsmore and Neilson sent to President Madison. |