The Winterthur Library

 The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum

5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Delaware  19735

Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883

 

 

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

 

Creator:         McCleary family        

Title:               Architectural drawings and land indenture

Dates:             1820

Call No.:         Col. 1000

Acc. No.:        2018x76

Quantity:        14 items

Location:        3 K 2

 

 

 

BIOGRAPHICAL STATEMENT

 

Andrew McCleary (or McCleery as he spelled his name) and Robert McCleary lived in Frederick, Maryland, with Andrew also owning land in Allegany County, Maryland. 

 

Living in Frederick, Maryland, was Andrew M. McCleary (1777-1853) and his brother Robert (1788-1840), and it is possible they are the people mentioned in the indenture.  Their parents were Martha Ritchie and Henry McCleary.  The family of Martha Ritchie included a Robert Ritchie, esq. 

 

 

SCOPE AND CONTENT

 

A collection of undated architectural drawings, plus the draft of a land indenture dated 1820.  The architectural drawings depict a church, a center-hall house, and house framing plans.  Nothing specifically ties the architectural drawings to the McCleary family, but the items were donated together and are therefore kept together.   The architectural drawings are possibly for a church and a house in Frederick, Maryland, and were probably done by a builder rather than an architect.  The church drawings include the façade, and details of windows, the gallery, pilasters, cornices, and calculations of how many joists, tie beams, purlins, and other such items would be needed.  A drawing of two facades may be alternates for the façade of the church.  There is not a façade drawing for the house, but two floors are present: principal and chamber floors.  There is also a wood frame plan, with numbers and sizes of joists, raising plates, wall pates, and such listed.  Three other sketches of wood frame plans may or may not be for this particular structure.

 

The land indenture mentions Andrew and Robert McCleery [i.e. McCleary] of Frederick and Allegany County, Maryland.  It gives numbers of seven lots in Allegany County which are being sold, each lot being 50 acres.  Part of the paper has been torn away, but it was probably just a draft indenture.  Notes of various sorts, but mentioning materials needed for building a house, are found on the back.

 

           

ORGANIZATION

 

Indenture; drawings for the church; drawings for house; wood frame plans.

 

 

LANGUAGE OF MATERIALS

 

The materials are in English.

 

 

RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS

 

Collection is open to the public.  Copyright restrictions may apply.

           

 

PROVENANCE

 

Gift of David Doret.

           

 

ACCESS POINTS

 

            People:

                        McCleary, Andrew M., 1777-1853.

                        McCleary, Robert, 1788-1840.

 

Topics:

            Architecture - Designs and plans - Maryland.

            Architecture, Domestic - Maryland - Frederick.

            Church buildings - Maryland - Frederick.

            Framing (Building) - Designs and plans.

                        House construction - Maryland - Frederick.

                        Real property - Maryland - Allegany County.

Frederick (Md.) - Buildings, structures, etc.

Drawings.

Indentures.     

Builders.

 

 

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

 

Location: 3 K 2

 

 

All accession numbers begin with 2018x76

 

.1         one side; draft of a land indenture, 1820; between Andrew McCleery and Robert McCleery, both of Frederick, Maryland, and Andrew McCleery of Allegany County, for lots 350, 914, 1012, 1082, 1355, 1430, and 1556, all in Allegany County, Maryland

            Other side: various notes and sketches, includes notes about joists for a cellar and for first and second floors of a building; bricks, rods, the name Robert Ritchie, Esq., written twice, and the phrase “Command you may your mind.”

 

.2         façade of a church, with window details, a few measurements, and some other details, and a scale.

 

.3         one side: façade of the same church, but this time with a belfry; this drawing includes more measurements than the one above;

            Other side: details of windows and two details of gallery inside church, with a scale and some measurements.

 

.4         detail of upper level of church, with rafters shown, but also placement of windows on front of church.

 

.5         details of part of the framing structure, mentioning tie beams, rafters, braces, joists, purlins, and wall plates; framing for the gallery is also mentioned (girder, joists, wall pates, window sills); and amount of white pine needed and amount of wood for scaffolding; the drawings show a window, the arrangement of columns, and framing structure for roof and belfry.

 

.6         one side: details of interior of church: pilasters, columns, height of pews, what appears to be a mantle but is more likely a detail of decoration above the altar, the layout of the altar area, and placement of the reading table;

            Other side: details of imposts, cornices, window sash, and gallery.

 

.7         outline of part of decoration of church, possibly cornice

 

.8         two façades of some sort of building, perhaps a church,

 

.9         floor plan of a house: center hall with stairs, two rooms (probably front and back parlors) on one side, three rooms on other, the front room of which has its own door to the outside; two further rooms, both with stairs, are in ell (perhaps kitchen and dining room); room measurements are given.

 

.10       another floor plan for the house in .9, probably for the chamber floor.

 

.11       plan for wood frame, particularly for the floor, for the house in .9 and .10; includes sizes and numbers needed of joists, girders, raising plates, wall plates, rafters, collar beams, and purlins, for both house and kitchen.

 

.12       plan for wooden frame of a floor, with some measurements; part of drawing is missing; a scale is on the back.

 

.13       plan for wooden frames of a house, showing raising floor, chamber story, attic, and principal story, giving length and numbers of girders, joists, and rafters needed for each floor

 

.14       plan for wooden frame of the 3d floor of a building, giving length and quantities of trimmers and common.