Large Fragment of a Curved Roof Tile (Archaeological Find)

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Image of curved roof tile excavated from unit H931, Level 5, depth of 88-90cm. Found near the center of the unit near concentration/arrangement of brick, slate, and other roof tile.

Figures a, c, d, and e show how curved tiles were used. Often called ridge tiles, they protected the junction where roof slopes met (Grimmer 1992).

Harvard Yard in 1668, looking south. First Harvard Hall is in center foreground. Shows Harvard and Cambridge buildings in 17th century, with some detail of supposedly tiled roofs.

1726 view of Harvard. From left to right: Harvard Hall, Stoughton Hall, Massachusetts Hall (Deák 1988, 49). Believed to be “earliest authentic view of the College” (Bail 1949, 17).

Map of Harvard College, 1650-1700. Supports hypothesis that this tile likely came from Old College and was part of its structure as “a splendid collegiate building” (Shand-Tucci 2001, 4).

Title:

Large Fragment of a Curved Roof Tile

Subject:

Roof tiles, as preservers of structures and “buffers against the weather,” were necessary architectural components of Harvard’s early buildings (Sweetser 1978). Such buildings enabled Harvard to continue its educational mission. One of Harvard’s first structures was the Old College built in 1638 (Shand-Tucci 2001, 33; Bunting 1998, 5; Morison 1935, 191). Archival evidence describes it as the “largest and most imposing building by far in the English colonies” and “too gorgeous for a wilderness” (in Shand-Tucci 2001, 5). Although clay roof tiling was common from mid-seventeenth century, curved roof tiles are rare in the archaeological record of colonial New England (Hume 1970, 294). It can be assumed, therefore, that this roof tile’s place on an early Harvard building contributed to the perception of these buildings as one-of-a-kind and elaborate. Buildings in the seventeenth century, just like today, could set an immediate impression and were markers of purpose, status, and economic standing.

This roof tile also contributes to a narrative of financial turmoil at Harvard: after all, materials and money for constructions were “scraped together in small donations” (Bunting 1998, 6). Local colonists with skills and trades donating resources (perhaps roof tiles) to pay for their sons’ educations (Morison 1936). The body of the building itself was likely constructed of wood, which under the weight of tiles, quickly led to it falling into disrepair (Cummings 1979, 49; Upton 1986, 359; Bunting 1998, 11). This further reinforces how at early Harvard, the showiness and flair of the buildings was an utmost priority in increasing social perceptions of the new college. Buildings that drew attention and legitimized the college helped the college to recover financially and encouraged new donations and new students to attend.

Source:

Bail, Hamilton Vaughan. 1949. Views of Harvard a pictorial record to 1860. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Bunting, Bainbridge, and Margaret Henderson-Floyd. 1998. Harvard: An Architectural History. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Burgis, William. 1726. “A Prospect of the Colledges in Cambridge in New England.” Engraving attributed to and accessed from Massachusetts Historical Society. Accessed April 1, 2017. http://www.masshist.org/database/viewer.php?item_id=429&pid=15.

Cummings, Abbott Lowell. 1979. The Framed Houses of Massachusetts Bay, 1625-1725. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Davis, Charles Thomas. 1884. A Practical Treatise on The Manufacture of Brick, Tiles, Terra Cotta, Etc. Philadelphia: Henry Carey Baird & Co.

Deák, Gloria Gilda. 1988. Picturing America, 1497-1899. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Grimmer, Anne E., and Paul K. Williams. September 1992. "The Preservation and Repair of Historic Clay Tile Roofs." National Parks Service. Accessed April 01, 2017. https://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/30-clay-tile-roofs.htm.

Harvard University. 1949. Education, Bricks and Mortar: Harvard Buildings and Their Contribution to the Advancement of Learning. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Hume, Ivor Noël. 1970. A Guide to Artifacts of Colonial America. New York: Knopf.

Morison, Samuel Eliot. 1935. The Founding of Harvard College. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Morison, Samuel Eliot. 1936. Three Centuries of Harvard, 1636-1936. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Peabody Museum. “Indian College.” Harvard Peabody Museum. Accessed April 2, 2017.
https://www.peabody.harvard.edu/node/2011.

Shand-Tucci, Douglass, Richard Cheek, and Neil L. Rudenstine. 2001. Harvard University: An Architectural Tour. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

Sweetser, Sarah M. February 1978. "Roofing for Historic Buildings." National Parks Service. Accessed April 01, 2017. https://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/4-roofing.htm.

Upton, Dell. 1986. Common places: readings in American vernacular architecture. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press.

Object Name:

Large Fragment of a Curved Roof Tile

Inventory Description:

Curved roof tile; terracotta, red clay; likely from 17th century

Peabody Number:

2016.29.191

Culture/Period:

17th century

Intrasite:

H931 Level 5

Depth:

88-90cm

Class 1:

Architectural

Class 2:

Ceramic

Class 3:

Roof tile

Quantity:

Height (cm):

16.0

Width (cm):

8.6

Depth/Thickness (cm):

1.6

Collection:

2017 Assignment 2

Tags:

17, ceramic