<<The kitchen, and loom house were separate buildings and outhouses probably did not refer to outhouses as we know them.>> I had not heard of a loom house. I didn't know it was such a large operation to require a separate house. The census list many spinsters. I didn't know spinster was an occupation. I thought it was a marital status. <lol> There is a joke there somewhere. <g> I have heard that slaves were making bricks in Scott Co. by the War but I can't document it. There were stone houses but I don't know when the first would have been. Most likely after the War. -eddie There were no brick houses mentioned, a situation common in most parts of Southwest Virginia at this time. In addition to houses, most had a barn, stables, and corn houses (cribs). Many had spring houses, kitchens, smoke houses, and loom houses. There were a few blacksmith shops, one straw house, and a hen house. >From the Tax records of Russell County, VA. Rodden Adderson (Addison), one farm on Indian Creek, 80 acres having thereon one dwelling house of wood, one story, 21 feet by 18 feet, one stable, one kitchen, and one corn house, valued at $160. Russell County, Virginia, pioneer Rodden Addison was born about 1780. His wife was Susannah Keen, daughter of John Keen who along with his brother Israel came to Russell County from Henry County in the year 1801. As the family grew, they continued to increase their land holdings in the Belfast Mills area of Virginia. My wife and I located the original tract of land that Elizabeth and Rodden owned and it is still fairly well undeveloped. We used the car's odometer to measure the distance that the road took us through the original tract and the odometer gave us a total of 1.3 miles across. There are probably not more than 12 to 15 houses on this area today with the rest of the land being pasture and forest. I hope this gives an insight into the "normal" homestead of that time. Until later, good hunting, Jerry in Kingsport, TN ==== SW_VA Mailing List ==== #1 When you have a new email address please UNSUBSCRIBE from the old BEFORE you lose it; and SUBCRIBE from the NEW address as soon as you get access to it. If you fail to do this please send the old and new address to: ehoward@conknet.com and the Mailing List name -sysop