French Timber Framing Questions

[Jim C, Monroe]

Hi All,

I'm new here but have been reading the forum for about 6 months.  There is lots of great information on the subject of timber framing area and on the rest of the forum.  Thanks to all that have contributed.  The two recent threads on historic timber framing techniques finally got me to register.

I'm from Monroe, MI where a National Park was established around 2008 on the site of a battle during the War of 1812.  The area was originally settled by  French fur trappers and farmers.  There is an existing structure (the Navarre-Anderson Trading Post) that was constructed in piece sur piece style and survived the battle.  There are two existing recreated barns but no one is quite sure how much research was put into building the barns in an appropriate manner. 

The National Park is in the process of trying to recreate a typical French settlement of the era between 1790 and 1810.  One of the first buildings to be constructed is a barn that is currently in the planning stage.  My question is, could anyone point me in the direction of information concerning the type of roof framing might be typical of a French barn or farm building of that era?

Jim

[Don P]

Hi Jim, I've posted this link a couple of times recently so you might have already seen it, there is a biblio at the end as well;
Nineteenth Century Canadien/Metis Farmsteads
Good Luck, sounds like a fun project

[Jim C, Monroe]

Thank you, Don.  I had not seen that before.  There is a lot of great information there, not only about building construction but the layout of individual properties and communities.

Jim

[Hilltop366]

There are buildings at Port Royal Nation Historic Sight in Nova Scotia.

Port-Royal National Historic Site features a reconstruction of the Habitation, an enclosed wooden compound. In 1605, Samuel de Champlain helped establish one of the earliest European settlements in North America on land that is the traditional homeland of the Mi'kmaq.

I visited a few years ago.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jim C, Monroe]

Thanks for those pictures, it looks like an interesting place.  I wish I was closer, it would be a great place to visit. 

The blacksmith shop and the woodworking shop with the spring-pole lathe caught my interest, too.