t every room. There is a great variety in their
design as well as size, some being very simple and framed in wood, while
others show tiling; occasionally we find elaborate carving, but this is
in the better class building rather than in the simple little farmhouse.
These details denote the different periods and also the wealth of the
former owner.

With the introduction of stoves, many fireplaces were bricked in to
accommodate an air-tight stove which gave more heat and saved fuel. One
unaccustomed to the features of an old farmhouse would infer a lack of
fireplaces. The removal of brick and mortar, however, reveals the large,
cavernous hearth which was often three feet deep and sometimes showed a
second bricking in, to make it smaller. Often in the narrowing of the
fireplace, tiles are used, generally Dutch, which are blue and white in
coloring. Occasionally in opening up these fireplaces, one comes across
rare old andirons that were considered of too little value to be
removed; old cranes and kettles are also found, of the type common in
the days of our early ancestors.

It must be remembered that the chimneys of these old houses were often
six feet square and had many fireplaces opening from them. It was the
central feature of the house, around which the rooms were built. The
earliest chimneys were daubed in clay, and in the masonry oak timbers
were often used. In remodeling a house many people tear down these old
chimneys for the space which may be converted into closet use and
alcoves, making a smaller chimney do service.

In the olden times, when the first chimneys were erected, they were so
carefully built that they were less liable to smoke than the smaller
ones, so that it is better to let the old one remain if possible. Brick
was generally used in the construction, although sometimes we find
stone. It was not the finished brick of to-day but rough and unfaced.
This was not true, however, of those which formed a part of cargoes from
abroad, more especially those brought from Holland. The use of stone was
not popular, as it was apt to chip when brought in contact with the
heat; this is also true of the hearthstones, where the flagging became
rough and most unsatisfactory.

The fireback was a feature of some of the old fireplaces. The earliest
of these made in our country were cast in Saugus, Massachusetts, and
some were most elaborate in design. Often coats-of-arms and initials
were worked out in their const