Shaker Church Family Brethren's Shop, U.S. Route 20, Hancock, Berkshire County, MA. Surveyed as HABS MASS,2-HANC,1-, with 1 photograph, 1 measured drawing and a 828-word written history.
“Shaker Church Family Brethren's Shop, U.S. Route 20, Hancock, Berkshire County, MA”
Survey record header. Machine-read text.
surveyed by the federal HABS program as HABS MASS,2-HANC,1- · the record runs 828 words · one of 80 surveyed structures published for this county.
1 photograph and 1 measured drawing from the federal survey record, Library of Congress.
Source document Quoted word for word from HABS MASS,2-HANC,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.
Exhibition area for brethren's industries PART I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History 1. Date of erection: Built "before In a water- color chart of the Church Family area, dated now owned by Morris Austin of Clinton, Conn, (formerly a member of the Hancock Church Family), this building is shown in its present location. 2. Architect: None. 3- Original and subsequent owners: United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing; Shaker Community, Inc. U. Builder, suppliers, etc.: The builder Is unknown. The supplies used were local. 5. Original plans, construction, etc.: The building is original, planned symmetrically, with a central stairway and one room on each side on both the first and second floors. These rooms have been divided into smaller areas at different times.
The attic and cellar stairs are original, but the first to second floor stairs have been added and the rise made more gentle. 6. Alterations and additions: The hooded porch on the south side, which was not original, has been removed. Several modern window sashes have been replaced with old sash. The west room on the first floor has been restored to its original condition. The toilet, bath tub, and plumbing have been removed. The original partition has been restored in the east room on the first floor. The plaster walls have been whitened and the woodwork on the first floor has been painted old Shaker red. The new floor in one room upstairs has been taken up to reveal the original floor and color. The woodwork in the west room on the second SHAKER CHURCH FAMILY BRETHREN'S SHOP HABS No.
MASS-T22 (page 2) floor has been scraped to a natural state and stained. An old paneled door replaces a "store" door leading from outside to a stairway. Partitions have been removed in the east room on the second floor. The Shakers have altered the original stairway to make it less steep. B. Historical Events and Persons Connected with the Structure: None. C. Sources of Information: 1. Old views: Chart of Hancock Church Family in by Morris Austin (formerly a member of the Church Family) of Clinton, Conn. Shaker Community, Inc. possesses some photographs. 2.
Source document Quoted word for word from HABS MASS,2-HANC,1-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.
Morris Austin, formerly a Shaker sister at Hancock, reported that the "building had several uses: one room was used as a school room, another area as a coffin storage, another as a clock repair shop., one room as a carpentry shop, etc.. In a sketch made early in the century by a Williams College student, by the name of Wright, (now in the Williams College library), the building is called a shoe shop. Table swifts were also made here. 3. Sources not yet investigated: Official Hancock Church record - when located. Prepared by Edward Deming Andrews Curator Shaker Community, Inc. March 22, PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. Description of Exterior: 1. Foundations: Approximately foot deep basement with a stone foundation. 2.
Structural system, framing: The building is a typical post and beam framing, all is original to the structure. There is a heavy ridge member and purlins supporting the rafters at mid-span which in turn are supported by means of connecting columns by the second floor ceiling girders. The columns and girders are either encased in finished boards or are neatly chamfered and finished in all finished areas. % SHAKER CHURCH FAMILY BRETHREN'S SHOP HABS No. MASS-722 (page 3) 3. Openings - Windows: The sash are twelve-over-eight lights. i. Description of Interior: 1. Wall and ceiling finish: The walls in all areas are either sheathed with wood panels or plaster. 2. Trim: There are wood wainscots at varying heights made of horizontal planks.
Prepared "by Terry Hallock Architect Shaker Community, Inc. PART III. PROJECT INFORMATION The information in this report is incomplete, hut has "been included in the Historic American Buildings Survey's collection "because of the special knowledge of the authors. Edward Deming Andrews, a notable author on Shaker history, religion, and arts, compiled the historical data. The restoration architect of the Hancock Shaker community, Terry Hallock, supplied the architectural data. June, ADDENDUM TO: HABS MA-722 SHAKER CHURCH FAMILY BRETHREN'S SHOP HABS MASS,2-HANC,1- U.S. Route 20 Hancock Berkshire County Massachusetts REDUCED COPIES OF MEASURED DRAWINGS FIELD RECORDS HISTORIC AMERICAN BUILDINGS SURVEY National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior C Street NW Washington, DC
| Hancock, Massachusetts | The place record: every map, photograph and survey of this town. |
| Berkshire County, Massachusetts | 397 topographic sheets across the county. |
| Library of Congress record | The original filed report, and the sheets the survey produced. Those published here appear above. |
The federal surveyors worked through Hancock building by building. These are the other structures they measured and filed a report on, longest report first.
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