This week in the Rapp Houses the plasterers have still been hard at work, the painters have been painting several rooms, some masonry was repaired, and more carpentry was completed. We also received a carpet pattern and the artwork for some wallpaper.
Whenever I walk around Old Economy Village, I’m always looking for those odd little things that might go unnoticed. I wonder and try to figure out what they were used for. Let’s take a little look at some of the odd but interesting little things that we’ve been discovering.
Wooden Mollies?
These two small pieces of wood were found in the south east corner of the George Rapp Formal Parlor (a.k.a. Trustees’ Room). Were they something the Harmonists did to be able to hang a heavy picture, like we do when we put a molly in the wall? (A molly is an anchor with an expandable sleeve that slides into a hole drilled into the wall. A screw is then screwed into the sleeve, causing the anchor to bend, expand, spread and grip against the inside of the drywall.) Or were they just plugs for holes in the wall?
Two Items found in One Room
In the room that was most recently interpreted as Jacob Henrici’s office, and what will soon be interpreted as George Rapp’s bedroom, we knew about, but recently discovered again, two items on the woodwork.
This hook is in the wooden trim next to the closet by the fireplace. It is approximately 7 feet off the floor. What was it used for? Possibly a lantern?
This little metallic loop is in the side of the door frame about 5 feet from the floor. What was it used for? Could some type of lighting have slid into it? Perhaps it had another use.
Was it a closet?
In George Rapp’s family dining room, there have recently been some changes to the room, which we have seen in a previous post. Namely, there was a door that was moved to the other side of the fireplace, and a wall was straightened. While on the February 12th Behind the Scenes Tour, a visitor commented that it looked like there would have been a closet to the right side of the fireplace. I think our guest may have been right. What do you think? See below to see the space talked about and the Trustees’ Room which has a closet to the right of the fireplace. There is also a closet in George Rapp’s (new) bedroom and Frederick Rapp’s office.
Was this space next to the fireplace originally a closet?
The George Rapp parlor/ Trustees’ Room showing the closet beside the fireplace
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