The most important piece of evidence found during the fireplace investigation was the discovery of a photo of the fireplace taken in ca. 1890.  The photo clearly showed what the fireplace looked like and, amazingly, revealed that a chimneypiece found on the second floor of Montpelier was installed in this room in ca. 1812.  The chimneypiece also proved to be important for reconstructing the fireplace because the opening it framed provided the approximate size of the missing fireplace's opening.  By consulting the reveals found around other surviving ca. 1812 fireplaces, it was then possible to design an accurately reconstructed fireplace.  However, even after the correct size of the fireplace was known, Restoration Team still did not know how to finish the hearth.