The South Side home is packed with clues about its history, but its architecture may have even more to tell.
Students in Clay Tucker’s dendrochronology class at the University of Southern Mississippi visited the Spiers-Rowes Cay mansion on Seventh Avenue on Friday to collect core samples of wood used in the construction of the house. . Dendrochronology is a scientific method of dating events, environmental changes, and artifacts using the growth rings found inside trees.
The samples are analyzed to obtain tree-ring data that provides insight into when the wood was cut, with the aim of determining when the house was built.
Robert Thompson purchased the house with plans to restore and resell it. During renovations, contractors removed signs of later additions to the house, such as whitewashed studs behind the siding in some rooms, hinting at when the house was built and how it had changed. I found some clues.
The architect who previously owned the house believed it was built in the 1830s. A sign in front of the house indicates that its construction dates back to his 1880 year.
Thompson suspects it was an antebellum home, but said it may have been built even earlier as a two-bedroom pioneer building. He said some early maps show the house to be an annex to the Cartney Hunt residence down the street, but there is no way to know for sure.
At least until Tucker’s class shows up.
“This is a structure that doesn’t have much history to us. All these little clues tell us things about the place, but the best clue is probably the tree ring information that Dr. Clay is trying to get.” You will gain from this,” Thompson said.
Mr. Tucker said that combining what they already know about the history of the house with the results of dendrochronological analysis provides a good indication of when construction began.
“Most of the work is history. … Dendrochronology is like the final piece of the puzzle,” he said. “A big part of this is listening to local people, communities and homeowners. All of these things are necessary to do the job we want to do.”
That work involves using tree-ring analysis to determine when wood was harvested. The age of the wood can help determine when a home was built, as wood is often processed soon after harvest to prevent deterioration.
In Professor Tucker’s class, dendrochronology can bring the house closer to the year it was built, but other supporting factors, such as the type of nails and saws used to construct the house, can help determine the age of the house. He said this could provide further clues.
“Our answer to Robert may be, ‘It’s not easy to say yes, but we think you’re right,'” Tucker said. “But we’re going to keep going in Columbus. That’s what we want to do.”
Tucker plans to continue researching the age of homes, as the city of Columbus is rich in historic homes.
“One of the great things about Columbus that I discovered on this visit is that this is not an old house in Columbus. This is one of dozens of old houses in Columbus,” he said. . “It’s a bit of a gold mine, so to speak, because there aren’t that many cities that still have all the old houses.”
Thompson said all the neighbors want to know more about the history of the house.
“Through this process, we hope to bring the DNA of the building to us and tell us a little bit more scientifically about what happened here at the time,” he told students.
Professor Clay Tucker and homeowner Robert Thompson discuss the history of the South Side home in Tucker’s dendrochronology class. The University of Southern Mississippi class collected wood core samples from the house to analyze tree-ring data and determine when the house was built.Emma McRae/Temporary Staff
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our work. In the past week, our reporter has posted 49 articles to cdispatch.com. To support local journalism and community, please consider subscribing to our her website for just $2.30 per week.
