Report on the Garrity House, circa 1980

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(12) `- nails It was evident that although the sheathing had been sawn off to permit passage through the door, it had once run the length of the east side of the fron building when that building stood alone Additional evidence that the east wall of the front building once stood to the weather was found at the intersection of the gable roofs of the "L" (see Figure 7) The roof of the front building is sheathed continuously under this intersection, and hand riven wooden shingles are still in place The shingles are fastened with cut nails , placing this roofing job in the early 19th century The wall sheathing does not show evidence (nail holes) of having once been covered by clapboards, nor did it appear to k have been whitewashed The fact that its exterior was originally unfinished, a treatment more typical for a barn or shed, supports the tradition that the Garrity House was constructed through the merging of out-buildings In addition, the diagonal bracing found in the middle of the east and west walls was not a common feature of late 18th century house framing Such bracing would have been unnecessary in a house where lath and plaster would provide structural stability to the middle of a frame This type of bracing would have been used on a building with unfinished interior, such as a barn or shed Thus we conclude that the front building was originally a two story barn or shed built in the late 1700 ' s The south leg of the "L" , or rear building (Rooms 1C and 2C, Figures 4 and 5) , shows evidence of a slightly later construction date than the front building Some framing members are hand-