for a Frontish Piece Door in the Back front of Cap. McPhersons House towards Schoulkill @ 25 pounds." On March 30, 1764 another of Thomas Nevell's skilled journeyman, David Ainsworth, was credited 25 pounds for creating the "Back front" frontispiece at Mount Pleasant. His work had been measured by two leading Carpenters Company members, Robert … Continue reading “Cr: David Ainsworth
Mount Pleasant
East Side, West Side, all around the town…
The history of the west side frontispiece of Mount Pleasant in the Tuscan Order is similar to that of the east side Doric frontispiece. The original bases and plinths were lost before the beginning of the twentieth century though in this case no photographs before c. 1900 of the west side exist. The Tuscan Order is … Continue reading East Side, West Side, all around the town…
“Forests were the first temples of God and in forests men grasped their first idea of architecture.” James C. Snyder
"Where columns are turned out of the solid, charge according to the trouble of procuring the stuff, sawing them off, hewing, and attendance on the boring, turning and fixing them up." Articles of the Carpenters Company of Philadelphia: And Their Rules for Measuring and Valuing House-Carpenters Work, Philadelphia, 1786 Interior columns were glued up. The … Continue reading “Forests were the first temples of God and in forests men grasped their first idea of architecture.” James C. Snyder
Mount Pleasant Closed
The 250th anniversary of the completion of the construction of Mount Pleasant in 2015 turned out not to be auspicious. Previously open for tours the entire year, these days Mount Pleasant closes in January and reopens for tours of the interiors April 1st. This year that will not happen. According to the Philadelphia Museum of … Continue reading Mount Pleasant Closed
Thomas Nevell Account Book
I've had several inquiries about the location of Thomas Nevell's account book and how I access the scans I've used in the posts. The account book is in the collection of the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Several years ago the the account book was scanned … Continue reading Thomas Nevell Account Book
In Proportion to the Trouble 