Talk:Swaggerty Blockhouse

A fact from Swaggerty Blockhouse appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 7 August 2009 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that tree ring analysis of Swaggerty Blockhouse's (pictured) logs indicate a cutting date circa 1860, well after the posted construction date for this nationally-recognized historic structure?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2009/August.

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areas[edit]

The areas given in Swaggerty Blockhouse#Design, 21 square feet, etc., are wrong (21 s.f. would be a room 4.5 feet square.)—Robert Greer (talk) 09:17, 7 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Looks closer to 21 square meters. GregorB (talk) 11:48, 7 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Might be due to confusion between "21 square feet" and "21 feet square". —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.3.42.78 (talk) 12:21, 7 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

According to the Tennessee Encyclopdeia of History and Culture [1], the second storey is 12 feet square (as opposed to 12 square feet) and the third storey is cantelevered 4 foot on all sides, making it 20 feet in lenght. These numbers appear to agree witht corresponding picture. I suggest chaning the article to tehse values.Wkharrisjr (talk) 12:28, 7 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I agree with Wkharrisjr. If the entire 3rd floor is the largest at 21 square feet (4.5 feet by 4.5 feet), the building would be useless for either of the stated purposes (fortress or barn). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Esaons (talk • contribs) 12:37, 7 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The measurements should be 16 feet square and 21 feet square, as given on p. iv. of the David Mann citation. I apparently mixed it up in the conversion template. Bms4880 (talk) 18:44, 7 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Name of Building[edit]

if James built the house, why did he not own it to begin with? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Wkharrisjr (talk • contribs) 17:19, 7 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Frederick Swaggerty moved to the property in the 1780s along with his wife and children. James Swaggerty was one of his sons, so it was presumed James built the blockhouse on property his father owned. I was puzzled as to why the blockhouse's construction was attributed to James rather than his father, but that's what the sources say. Bms4880 (talk) 19:07, 7 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Archaeological Investigation[edit]

I'd like more detail on how studying the tree rings can indicated when a tree was cut. I know the rings can indicate the AGE of the tree when cut, but I don't see how (unless you know when the tree was planted) it can tell you when it was cut.

Dendrochronology should answer you question. Wkharrisjr (talk) 13:15, 7 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Basically, they compare the tree rings in the structure's logs to the tree rings from a sample set of trees from the general area (in this case, the Norris Dam area) that have known cutting dates. It's not just how many rings, it's the shape of the rings, the space between rings, etc., that allows this comparison. Since the trees grew in the same climate conditions, the idea is that they will have similar ring patterns year-to-year. Bms4880 (talk) 19:16, 7 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

As for the purpose of the building, people back then were more likely to build a springhouse near a HOUSE, not a barn. You'd want easy, quick access to water for your home (cooking, cleaning, and washing day and night) more than you'd want it for watering your animals just at night. Springhouses were used for storing perishables as well as for obtaining water. Since floors back then were seldom (if ever!) totally impervious, why would you want to house animals over your foodstuffs and drinking water? Ew. Esaons (talk) 13:03, 7 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The second story was used for storage of tools, the third used as a granary. Bms4880 (talk) 18:49, 7 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

External links - section removed[edit]

Until now, this section had only one link. Its address is now "parked" and has nothing to do with Cocke County TN. I haven't found any links to the Swaggerty Blockhouse on the present county website (cockecounty.net). So, I've deleted the entire section. Twistlethrop (talk) 11:24, 15 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]