Layers upon layers

Karen took more siding off the house in Wednesday, July 16, this time on the back of the second floor, to accommodate the roof of the addition. She expected to find more wood underneath the slate/asbestos, but to her surprise, she found thick black tar paper. Under that was a layer of cardboard. Under that was an attractive red asphalt with a black scallop.

Once Dolly, who lived kitty-corner, told Karen that the second floor had been added to Karen's house. Dolly's second husband was Joe, who grew up in the house, his parents having built it in about 1906. He died in the early 1990s, and Dolly died in 1999 or 2000. The lack of wood on the second story and the presence of the red-and-black asphalt seems to support Dolly's contention.

Dolly also told Karen that a family with 13 children lived in the house once. Joe told her that bootleggers used to operate out of the basement.

What will they think of next? The box above, used as a layer of insulation, is from the Asbestos, Asphalt and Insulation Manufacturing Co. Left: Notice the attractive black scallop marked on the red asphalt siding.