Longwall mining damage image of James Kinney Farmstead wood and coal house, showing cutting of replacement white oak beam. This replacement beam will be cut and installed while wet, without kiln drying. This is the method of construction which was used in the 1860's and it will be employed in this restoration project as well.

Diary Entry: 10/16/2006

Two very wide (by 2006 year standards) boards were removed from the wood and coal house west side. They were about 20 inches by 1 inch thick and 10 feet long. The upright had been torqued by the longwall when the building went on a twist at the time of mining. The upright beam is 10 feet tall and 8 by 8 inches and made of white oak. We tried to find a replacement from the old sheep barn that blew down in 1996 across the road. It does not seem likely that any will be used. The next thing we will do is look for a tree on the James Kinney property that can be cut and then sawed into the right size. We also found that the 1830’s wooden corn crib across the road had a similar break and a similar size will be needed for it too.

Floyd Simpson