Kitchen Yard

Kitchen Yard. . , In the early 19th century, this area was a hub of domestic activity with a detached kitchen, laundry, and smokehouse. Archaeological excavations in 2017 revealed an assortment of objects related to the uses of the space, including animal bone, buttons, and straight pins. Archival evidence suggests the smokehouse ceased being used for smoking meat by the time of the Civil War., In 1927, the smokehouse was converted to house "squab," domesticated pigeons, bred on site by Armistead Peter, Jr. for their meat. The outdoor flyway was constructed south of the smokehouse to provide additional space for the birds., [Captions:] , Gazebo , The gazebo south of the arbors was designed and built in 1962 by Armistead Peter 3rd as a location for him and his wife Caroline to host luncheons and cocktail parties., Kitchen Arbor , Armistead Peter 3rd also extended the arbor, a feature on the west of the Main House since the mid-19th century, and added the archway to connect the arbor to the pigeon fly.