Today I went to the Lincoln Home National Historic Site to do some research on the transom windows inside the Lincoln Home. During my time there occasionally there would be a question about the windows on the second floor of the home. Today these objects are kind of a curiosity, no longer do we need windows above our doors to help circulate air throughout the house. Questions ranged from "what are those things above the doors" to "why are they swinging from the side" to "my school had windows like that, why are they inside of Mr. Lincoln's house." During the tours I would try to answer these questions but rarely had what felt like a good answer for them, so when the opportunity came up to do some research for a grad school project the Lincoln Home transoms were a good fit. The windows in question are above the interior doors on the second story of the LIncoln Home, they are all facing the rear hallway, Mary's Bedroom, the Boys; Room, the Hired Girl's Room, the Trunk Room, and the door to the Rear Stairs each have a transom above the door. Two of the transoms are still operable today, Mary's Bedroom and the Rear stairs can still be operated. In order to understand the windows the search for information must not only ask about the windows themselves but also about Victorian attitudes on air circulation and the benefits of ventilation to personal health. In many ways the search for information on the windows is limited by their place in society. Many old homes have them and most of the time people see the windows without taking time to think about them very much. This project however will seek to find a context for the windows found above the doors in the next old house you visit.
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The Ranger SteveThough I'm no longer found underneath the Flat Hat of the NPS I still find myself identifying as Ranger Steve more often than not. Archives
January 2017
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