Kitchen for a Reproduction Saltbox

A 1700s Home Based on the David Ogden House in Connecticut

At an early age, Ken was fascinated by the Daggett Farmhouse at Greenfield Village, dreaming of building a new house that looked like it was built in the 18th century.  Years later, after several builds including a 19th century renovation and many fun tours of historic houses, Ken and his partner Laurie, built a 1700s modern home strongly based on the David Ogden House in Connecticut.

Their four-year journey started with finding acreage on a scenic ridge in rural Kentucky and then commissioning and assisting in the architectural and structural drawings.  They decided early on to place the kitchen in the back of the house near the summer hearth, rather in the small "birthing room" as in the Ogden House.  They contacted the Ohio cabinetmaker Jeremy Emerson, who also loves historic homes, and began the design process.  They worked with Jeremy to create a limited number of carefully designed cabinets (and furniture) that blended well with the house and its furnishings and that fit nicely into the narrow, lean-to part of their home.  The resultant cabinetry exceeded their expectations. The final kitchen is easy to use when cooking on the hearth, baking in the beehive oven, and cooking using the modern stove.

The shell of the house was built by a patient contractor, sensitive to the historic nature of the build. The most challenging part was the design and construction of the winter and summer fireplaces. After working with a second structural engineer on just the fireplaces and chimney, an experienced mason was found unafraid of such an undertaking, using Kentucky blue limestone. After three months of hard work and daily decisions based on interactions with Ken, the mason completed this beautiful accomplishment. 

Both Ken and Laurie were experienced in the exterior upkeep of older houses and wanted a comfortable home in their senior years with lower maintenance. So, clapboard and trim constructed the thick board and batten the front door using hand-wrought nails and wide quarter-sawn oak boards.  In the interior, all important 1700s elements to "fool the eye" were included:  the massive stone fireplaces, beehive ovens, turning stairs, low doors and ceilings, narrow windows, wide oak face nailed flooring, support beams, gunstock corners, hand wrought hardware, and wide wood vertical paneling.  The final result is a home that has all the coziness of a historic home and prompts visitors to smile and ask, "When was this house built?"