WELCOME THE MIGRATION HELME GENEALOGY
TIMELINE THE 1720'S HOUSE THE 1812 HOUSE
ROOM-BY-ROOM THE GROUNDS BURIAL STONES
ARCHAEOLOGY ARCHIVES COLLECTIONS
LETTERS PROJECTS TOWN RECORDS

THE 1720’S HELME HOUSE

Only remnants of the foundation to this home remain in front of the 1812 House slightly to the northeast and facing perpendicular to the country road. One can only surmise as to the style of this home but certainly one of the more popular architectural style homes for this period and area was that of the 1 & 1/2 story salt box. But this is conjecture as there is no known data as to the type of structure merely what was popular at that time and locale. There is one notable fact and that was the salt box houses were built to face south and this house followed that convention.

The following listing is of architectural elements found in the 1812 House but of decidedly earlier construction and have a high probablility of having been "recycled" from this late 1720's House.

Chair rail, door molding, fireplace and upper cabinet doors located in both the Office and Original Kitchen with their Soldier Blue milk paint appear to be from earlier origins.

Doors - two (2) doors in the prayer book and cross design consisting of a dark green milk paint; dimensions 25 1/4" wide by 77 3/4” long and 28" wide by 76 1/4" long and both doors still have various pieces of the original hardware on them. Another door from this collection as given to the Miller Place-Mount Sinai Historical Society by Arthur Lambert and now displays as the back door of the William Miller House which is maintained by the Society.

Flooring - wide random width floor boards are found in the Best Chamber, Northwest Chamber and a small storage room on the second floor are are not in keeping with the predominant flooring in the 1812 House and I speculate may have come from the 1720's House.

Mantles - two of the mantles in th 1812 House appear to be of earlier origins and perhaps recycled from this home. A more indepth review is done in the ROOM-BY-ROOM TOUR section.

Molding - located in the Office, Original Kitchen and Northwest Chamber of the 1812 House we find various elements with the same Soldier Blue Milk Paint along with a profiled appearance of belonging to earlier origins. A partial listing follows:

a. The molding that surrounds the window in the Northwest Chamber on the north side of the house;

b. Molding pieces used as supports in the second floor Center Hallway;

c. A piece of dentil molding with Soldier Blue milk paint was used in the Northeast Chamber as an upright support piece. This molding matches the outline that is visible on the paneling sections in the Northwest Chamber.

Paneling

a. Chestnut block paneling with the original Soldier Blue milk paint is now located in the Northwest Chamber of the 1812 House. The paneling was placed together to complete an entire wall but there are areas with no paint creating an outline showing the location of a fireplace mantle and surround and along with the placement of the dentil molding. We can tell the height of the mantle from the floor up but not the length and width of the mantle. There are carved depictions in the paneling of two sailing ships that appears to have been done by a child.

Observation: There is a possibility that this paneling was found in the parlor of the 1720's House and based on design elements, Thomas Helme (III) may have installed the paneling for the arrival of his bride, Hannah Smith Helme in 1753.

b. Additional there is horizontal paneling in the Northwest Chamber with its’ original Soldier Blue milk paint.

Windows - There are six (6) nine over six windows with panes measuring 8 1/2" long by 6 1/2" wide found in the 1812 House that appear to have originated in the 1720's House.

In a small notebook of family history complied by Miss Martha Helme Miller dated March 26, 1912 is the following entry, "My Mother's Mother, Martha Helme, was born and lived until her marriage upon the property now in possession of the Helme family. Not in the same house, for that was all rebuilt, the frame of the old one having been used, it was said, in the present one." This information was conveyed to me by Margaret, Davis, Gass, Miller Place historian and additionally confirms observations made during the restoration.

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