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Homes of Chesaning IV: The Shanty

So far, we have been able to identify several homes located in the east village that all predate the 1880s, making them some of the oldest surviving structures in the area of Chesaning.

This time we’ll look at another home that appears on the 1877 map of Chesaning, one that was demolished sometime in the 2000’s, but that might have had some historical significance.

107 South Canal Street

107.canal

The size of the lot where this home once stood is listed at only 1,307 square feet, less than many mid-sized homes.  The house itself was even smaller, and going by the insurance maps, would have had an internal living space of about 700 to 800 square feet.

There are a small number of other homes of about this size that exist elsewhere in the village, dating from various periods of history, although smaller homes become more common the further back in time we go.

What’s more unusual is the manner of its construction.  Rather than having a more conventional double-pitched roof with two equal sides like most homes, its roof consisted of a small, shallow slope in front, with a steep angled roof in the back that ran most of the length of the building.

Fortunately, local historian Mark Ireland is able to shed some light on the matter with his description of early pioneer construction techniques.

For small families and temporary shelter the "slab-shanty" was the most popular. Two men could put up a frame and nail the outside boards to it in a couple of days or less. By placing the wide boards vertically they avoided additional cross pieces on the frame.

The front wall was made higher than the back to allow a sloping roof to carry off rain and snow and to eliminate gable ends. Two layers of heavy boards in opposite directions answered for a roof until there was the time to cover with hand-made shingles.

Place of the Big Rock, Mark & Irma Ireland, pg. 111.

Not only does this account for the home’s distinctive appearance, but also explains why we don’t see any other examples of homes built in this same style.  These homes were only temporary shelters that were supposed to be replaced by a newer and more permanent structure once time permitted.

An example of early slab-shanty style construction.

It’s interesting to note that the term used to describe this style of construction, slab-shanty, is similar to the term used to describe the town’s first schoolhouse.

"In the summer of 1843 it was desired that the children of the settlement should have a school; so some green pine was sawed into lumber and a small board shanty was built to serve as a schoolhouse. Its location was on the east side of the river, just south and perhaps a little east of what was known as the Fauble house."

Chesaning Illustrated, Ische & Ingalls, pg. 40.

We actually know the exact location of the Fauble house, because it is still standing today, at 144 South Canal Street.  This means that the old schoolhouse was probably located on the east side of the street, near it’s lower end.

The schoolhouse was also referred to as a “shanty” in other accounts, meaning we have a very old pioneer structure of similar description to the house in question, that was built only a short distance away.

I believe this indicates that the home at 107 South Canal Street also dated from around this same time, making it part of Chesaning’s earliest history.

But how could a home that was only intended to provide temporary shelter manage to outlast all other building of the same vintage?

This has to do with the size of the lot the home once occupied.

Residential homes of any size need to be surrounded by a certain minimum amount of space, this is because yards serve such a wide varierty of important functions. They are used for recreation, social gatherings, storage, planting a garden, drying wet laundry, etc.

This makes the small size of the lot at 107 South Canal Street exceptional, even considering the modest dimensions of the home itself.

This would not have always been the case.

Plat Map of Chesaning (1851)

The earliest plat map of the village of Chesaning (dating from 1851) shows that the home’s original location was near the middle of Lot 1, Section 18. This would be a logical place to build a home, and it would have been surrounded by plenty of available space.

Things had changed considerably by the time of the 1877 map.

The corner of Canal and Broad Street in 1877

The lower portion of Lot 1, everything to the immediate south of the home, became Lot 10 and now belonged to the homeowner at 123 South Canal Street. Everything to the immediate north of the home was now occupied by the saloon belonging to George Smith.

Had the lot retained its dimensions from 1851, it is likely that the original home would have been torn down in order to build a larger and more modern replacement. 

But once the lot was reduced in size, it would have been no longer possible to build a larger home without further reducing the already tiny amount of outdoor living space, and so the original home was allowed to remain in place.

There was so little exterior space remaining, in fact, that I find it hard to believe that any homeowner would subject themselves to such restricted living conditions.

I suspect that the home was serving as a rental unit at the time the property was subdivided, since a landlord would not be as concerned about his tenant’s welfare.

This is further indication of the home’s early origin, as it makes little sense to build a new home on such a small lot, so the house must have been built prior to the property being  subdivided.

The 1877 map appears to list this property as belonging to OFW. 

Could this be Oliver F. Walker, local undertaker and proprietor of his own furniture store?

Walker had first arrived in Chesaning back in 1856, and worked for many years as a carpenter and furniture maker, before opening his own shop in 1869. 

By 1877 he was living in a modest house on Chapman Street, just north of his store at the corner of Chapman and Broad Street. 

Is it possible that 107 South Canal Street was his original home, and he retained ownership of the property after moving into a new house on Chapman Street?

If so, was Walker the original builder of the home on Canal Street, or did he move into an existing structure?

If the home does predate Walker’s arrival in Chesaning, then we have some information that could help identify it’s original builder.

From "Pioneer Days of William H. Allen", written in 1912, we learn that: "There were only 6 houses on the East side of the river when we came in 1852"...He names the owners of the houses as John. B. Griswold, John W. Turner, "Ransler" Allen...George W. Chapman, Wellington Chapman, and "the little old shanty school house."

Place of the Big Rock, Mark & Irma Ireland, pg. 113-114.

If this home was built sometime in the 1840s or early 1850s, then it may have been one of these homes described by William Allen.  But which one?

The old schoolhouse was located further to the south along Canal Street.

The home of George Chapman was later moved from it’s original location on Canal Street out to the family farm.

The home of John Griswold has already been identified as 108 Commercial Street.

There are indications that the home of Ransler Allen was located somewhere along the State Road (Main Street).

The home of Wellington Chapman that William Allen mentions was likely the homestead located on his farm, just south of the village line and across from Showboat Park.

The location of John W. Turner’s home, however, remains unknown. 

Could it have been at 107 South Canal Street?

Hopefully more information will turn up to help answer these questions.

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