78th American Crafts & Historic Homes Tour
…which is why we don’t allow dogs at the Waterford Fair. Conditions at the Fair are not comfortable for pets for several reasons including lack of water, crowds, heat, and no bathroom areas for pets. We ask that you leave them home so you can both have a more enjoyable day. Thank you!
This house stands on lots 20 and 26 of a 64-lot of land owned by Quaker Mahlon Janney and auctioned after his death in 1812. In 1851, Carpenter Samuel C. Hough (1811-1887) a
Methodist, purchased the two lots, still-undeveloped. Shortly before he died in 1887, one of his and Mary Smallwood Hough’s nine children, Andrew Monroe Hough (1852-1915) bought the pair for $95 and combined them into one lot.
By the end of 1888 “Roe” Hough’s purchase featured a new frame house and the property was valued at $750. He married Edith Virginia, daughter of Waterford blacksmith Silas Corbin. Roe worked as a dry goods clerk in Waterford for much of his life, including at the Corner Store. Edith, at one point, worked in a millinery store on Main Street. The couple had no children but Roe was civic-minded.
In February 1888 a county newspaper reported that Mr. Hough lent a neighborly hand to two little children “who were brought to town on the morning of the 3rd, in a dreadful condition, having their feet, and the stomach of one, badly frozen. ”Roe” raised money to get some necessary clothing. Kind people of the town furnished them suitable garments and Dr. G. E. Connell administered medical aid.”
That same year, Hough served as registrar for an election in the village. Roe died in 1915; Edith in 1946, two years after selling the house to Eleanor Love James, of a long-time Waterford family. The house subsequently passed through several owners until 2002 when the Hertel family purchased it from Elaine Reynolds, who with her husband Neil had enlarged it in 1982.
The house includes overhanging eaves, shingle siding, and two-over-two windows, all popular at the time of its construction.
Ian Hart graduated college in 2017 with a degree in traditionally forged ironwork under the tutelage of Richard Guthrie, a Colonial Williamsburg veteran Journeyman who moved on to teach others the craft through the American College of the Building Arts. Rick instilled in him a value of creating accurate 18th century reproductions exclusively by hand, matching the construction methods, characteristics, underlying geometry and functionality of their historic counterparts. Rick has since passed, but Hart carries his lesson with him through every day: to make a profit when I can, to take a loss if I must, to sleep some nights, and others not, but always to do good work.
Mixed Media
The home farm is a family owned and operated venture of love and commitment to reviving the lost arts. They strive to farm in a sustainable manner and are committed to utilizing time-honored “old fashioned” methods as well. These methods both enhance the lives of our animals and maintain our connection to the earth. By offering and promoting products and educational ventures nationwide, they support and encouraging other small farms. They believe that small farms are the backbone of our culture and our country; producing healthier food, creating superior products and fostering healthy economies and communities.
I have been rug hooking for 27 years, with many of my designs adapting PA Frakturs. Before rug hooking I did weaving, starting in 1968, and learned dyeing for my weaving fibers. I then used my dyeing experience to dye for my own hooked rugs and expanded to dye for a few friends. On retirement I started a small business dyeing wool for other rug artisans and sell at in-person events as well as on Etsy. In the past few years I have started to sell some of the rugs I have made. Three of my rugs have been selected for the Rug Hooking Magazine Celebrations book in the past few years, one winning a Reader’s Choice Award.
Helberg has always been interested in history and a portion of her artwork reflects that. Whaling paintings and whaling scenes on boxes, as well as sea monsters attacking ships are part of Helberg’s artwork. She enjoys creating tavern signs that depict imaginary places in Early America. Having spent most of her childhood in York County, PA, Helberg was immersed in the painted hex signs on barns and fraktur art and uses those images on the decorative boxes.
Helberg’s paintings are in the permanent collections of The National Portrait Gallery/Smithsonian, the Clinton Presidential Library, the Reginald Lewis Museum of African American Art and the Musee D’Art Naif in Quebec.
Mendez hand fabricates botanical jewelry in copper, bronze, brass and sterling. Their work is a celebration of the beauty and resilience of nature. Many of the plants that inspire the work are among the most ancient life forms, such as ginkgo and ferns. The jewelry pieces are often boldly colorful, utilizing rich patinas or hand painted finishes. Every piece is hand drawn and hand-cut and finished with techniques that include chasing, stamping and repousse. They combine these handbuilt metal elements with semiprecious stone beads and cabochons culminating in an organic line and feel.
Chewning’s shop is a space to clean up and make a mess again. The shop is right outside their office. Some days they step out of their office and into the shop until it’s time for bed. It’s a small shop with lots of tools so everything has its place. It’s referred to it as a “one tool at a time shop.” All the power tools must be pushed to the side to clear space for the one task that he’s working on. Some of these tools are stacked 3 deep against the wall. The craft requires thoughtful strategy, process, and planning to navigate the tools in the small space to create a small wooden object. There are the stacks of wood saved for the next project-the boards milled from a neighbor’s tree, or from a tree their father cut down, or the board saved from a church pew that came from the church they were married in. It’s a collection of memories. Chewning’s space is a place to forget everything else and create something beautiful from scratch. When the floor is inches deep of sawdust and shaving, it’s swept and vacuumed until the shop is clean. Sometimes there’s a big glue up required and that’s followed by more sawdust and another cleanup. The piece then reveals its true beauty of the wood with grain that pops with color, shape, and texture. The best part of the process to see the wood come alive. Favorite pieces are always an inventory of one.