William Pitcher Farmstead HSR

• Sample 105/3, collected from the baseboard on the east gable end of the east
parlor, has only the top layer of white paint in common with sample 105/1, which
was taken from the doorway between the east parlor and the front entry hall.
Sample 105/1, with a substrate of white pine, has a base layer of blue, which
appears to be rough and grainy under magnification; a layer of milky, grainy white;
and a top coat of lead-based white paint. The substrate of sample 105/3 is red
pine, with a grainy, dark brown base layer that is soluble with denatured alcohol.
(figure 2) Other than the top layer of white, these samples of woodwork from the
east parlor have nothing in common. (figure 3) Sample 105/3 has ten layers of
finish, while 105/1 has only four. This suggests that 105/3 was wood reused from
another location. At this point, red pine has only been found in the post at the
bottom of the current stairs, the post that has the paint ghost from the jambless
fireplace hood. Further exploration will be needed to determine where else in the
Pitcher house this material and stratigraphy of finishes exists.
figure 2
105/1 blue base layer 105/3 dark brown base layer
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