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The Hoottinger Homestead
The Hoottinger House is identified by its features as an 1840 federal house. Federal style houses are of a more conservative exterior decor than the later Victorian period. Typical of the period, these houses had a balanced facade with minimal decorative additions. The Hoottinger house gains its impact via shutters on the windows and the main entrance door. The other external impact items are the handsome half round window light, above the front door, along with the raised panels that surround the door opening. The interior design layout was called a "saddle back", due to a central hall with rooms off to each side. The interior is of a colonial style.
The baseboards and the window treatments were common for the period. The fireplaces were functional with the parlor fireplace having a decorative mantle. There is a cooking fireplace in the kitchen and a dainty fireplace in the 2nd floor master bedroom. The basement is constructed of coursed stone, with a bonding material of lime and sand, and is otherwise not impressive being of a shallow nature. This original farm house with its period outbuildings effectively portrays early Americana.
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Restoration
The historical society began restoration efforts by stabilizing the exterior, including tearing down the chimneys and restoring them, followed by installing a wood shingle roof that is correct for the period.
The emphasis feature of the house beyond the interesting door area is the very effective shutter treatment. Beyond being decorative, the shutter allowed windows to be opened with the benefit of keeping unwanted animals out, as well as offering shading for the sunny days. All of the infrastructure items have been renewed including - heating and cooling, electrical, plumbing, plastering, repair of interior trim, and floor repair. The basement was critical, due to structural damage by termites and re-pointing the coursed stone of the foundation. Restoration is an art of making the house reflect how it might have looked a hundred years ago.
