Reminiscences of Newcastle, Iowa, 1848; a history of the founding of Webster City, Iowa . ath in summer. The ladder leading to theloft was made from a section of puncheon with cleats fas-tened to the flat surface about eighteen inches apart. Oneend of the slab rested on the lower floor and the otherextended, almost perpendicularly, into the opening in theattic floor. Our first cabin at Newcastle only had sufficient flooredspace upon which to set the beds, loom, spinning wheelsand other bulky belongings. There was an eighteen inchjump-off^ from this puncheon floor to the earthen surfacewhere th
Reminiscences of Newcastle, Iowa, 1848; a history of the founding of Webster City, Iowa . ath in summer. The ladder leading to theloft was made from a section of puncheon with cleats fas-tened to the flat surface about eighteen inches apart. Oneend of the slab rested on the lower floor and the otherextended, almost perpendicularly, into the opening in theattic floor. Our first cabin at Newcastle only had sufficient flooredspace upon which to set the beds, loom, spinning wheelsand other bulky belongings. There was an eighteen inchjump-off^ from this puncheon floor to the earthen surfacewhere the daily work was done. This ledge was utilizedto sit upon, and therefore, fewer stools were thought we were quite comfortably domiciled whenwe built on the Eyer place, the hewed, double log cabinwith a lean-to. This cabin furnished ample room for ourfamily and others; and for many years it was the commu-nity center of entertainment. Outhouse accommodationswere the thick brush or a couple of fallen tree-trunks; onefor men, one for women. 34 REMINISCENSES OF NEWCASTLE, IOWA. CABIN BUILDING AND BEDS 35 Fireplace. The fireplace was a five-foot opening at one end of thecabin. The greater the fire capacity the more wood couldbe burned; and, therefore, the ground sooner would becleared for planting. The first chimneys were built withsticks daubed with mud; but on account of fire danger wesoon began to use stones. The front surface of the fireplacewas set a foot or so into the room, and the depth—the re-ceptacle for fire—was extended backward two feet andoutside of the cabin wall. The mantel shelf took shape atabout five feet high, and the chimney wall then was nar-rowed and shaped to the regular size. The randle, orback-bar, was arranged below and back of the shelf and onit were the trammels—hooks for hanging kettles. On thisbar strips of venison were seared at every killing. Flint-sparking was the early method of ignition. Thekindling was arranged with a bunch of t
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, booksubjectfrontie, bookyear1921
