The Sotterly Corn Crib

The Sotterly Corn Crib. . , Farmers constructed buildings in which to process and store their various crops in specialized ways. Corn cribs (or corn houses) had to be sturdy to hold significant loads and to keep their walls from pushing out when filled. They had to be well ventilated, raised on piers, and slatted or sheathed with boards gapped for airflow. The Sotterley Corn Crib exhibits these features., How old is the building? , The dominance of tobacco over corn and other grains in Southern Maryland meant that specialized corn houses were not frequently needed until after 1800. The evolution of Sotterley's corn house has puzzled historians for decades largely because a number of the overhead joists show signs of previous use in a building that measured about 20 feet deep with conventional 8 inch overhanging eaves. The current building uses these joists and others that were freshly made when the building reached its present form. Recycling and reusing are obviously not new ideas!, Just how early the original building was constructed is unknown, but the rarity of the building form in the county's early history points to the late eighteenth century as the most likely construction date - during the Plater ownership period. What one can say with certainty is that sometime before the middle of the nineteenth century, and likely in the 1830s, owners Walter and Emiline Briscoe renovated an earlier building to modernize it and expand its holding capacity, adding sheds on three sides. The presence and size of the Sotterley corn crib indicates that the land was being extensively cultivated in corn by that time., How do we know? , Architectural historians have studied construction styles, methods, and materials and use documents, including Direct Tax and Orphans Court record, to judge the age of a building. The type of nails used, for example, can tell us a lot about the era the construction took place. Although the Briscoes ordered replacement of some of the laths and renailed portions of others, the hand-forged nails spread throughout the roof sheathing make it very unlikely that the roof was assembled any later than 1810. Other parts of the building have nails of the type that were manufactured between 1828 and 1847. The methods used to hew or saw the oak boards also reveals the age of the building. Most of the framing is characteristic of late pre-Civil War construction. The earthfast posts and piers are cedar., Who built it? , Sotterley does not have a record of who built the Corn Crib, but both the Platers and the Briscoes would have used the labor and talent of their enslaved work force. For over 160 years, Sotterley owners' records always included "carpenters" among their slaves., Based on a 2015 study of the building by Willie Graham, Colonial Williamsburg curator of architecture.