Word of Mouth

The Hand Of The Small Town Builder

New Hampshire Public Radio | By Word of Mouth

Published June 5, 2014 at 2:41 PM EDT

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Bonney Camp, Rangeley Lake, Maine, Bath house. Builder unknown.

W. T. Pfeffer

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Karonoko, Great Pond, Belgrade Lakes, Maine. Design: Possibly Barnard and Wilder, NY, builder unknown.

W. T. Pfeffer

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Camp Kemankeag, Rangeley Lake, Maine, main house kitchen and dining room. Builder unknown.

W. T. Pfeffer

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Lovicount S. Lyon house (builder unknown, 1897, demolished 2007).

W. T. Pfeffer

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Conner Cove Cottage, Southwest Harbor (Builder R. M. Norwood, Architect unknown, 1923), exterior.

W. T. Pfeffer

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Swing by Fernald Cove, Mt. Desert Island, Maine

W. T. Pfeffer

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Caer Paravel, Randolph New Hampshire. Builder/Designer: John H. Boothman.

W. T. Pfeffer

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Caer Paravel, Randolph New Hampshire. Builder/Designer: John H. Boothman.

W. T. Pfeffer

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Upland Cottage, Bethlehem, New Hampshire (S.D. Morgan, 1916), View from east.

W. T. Pfeffer

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Winter Road Hill (E. Cummings, ca. 1913), master bedroom.

W. T. Pfeffer

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Will Bradley House, Randolph, New Hampshire (1906), Inglenook and fireplace. Will Bradley, designer and builder.

W. T. Pfeffer

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A door in a Boothman house in Randolph, New Hampshire, catches late afternoon light.

W. T. Pfeffer

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Bramblewood (Bancroft Cottage), Caspian Lake, Vermont. Builder and designer, George D. Fowler.

W. T. Pfeffer

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Bramblewood (Bancroft Cottage), Caspian Lake, Vermont. Builder and designer, George D. Fowler.

W. T. Pfeffer

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Guesthouse at Bramblewood (Bancroft Cottage), Caspian Lake, Vermont.

W. T. Pfeffer

We spoke with W. Tad Pfeffer about his book The Hand of the Small-Town Builder: Summer Houses in Northern New England, 1876-1930. Here are some images from the houses he researched, and his captions give a deeper look into the history of our favorite summer tradition, the summer house.

To listen to the full interview with W. Tad Pfeffer, click here.

The Hand Of The Small Town Builder

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