The
kitchen windows overlook the brick-paved courtyard and wood-sided
coal shed. Restored in 2002, the coal shed extends
from the rear wall of the kitchen to the alley where a small street-level
door allowed for coal deliveries directly from the alley into the
shed. Coal would then be sorted by the male servant into large
pieces for the furnace and stove and smaller pieces to be carried
to the various coal-burning fireplaces throughout the house. The
alley was a conduit not only for coal but also for other vital
household supplies including ice, groceries, and other wares and
services offered by mobile merchants. Such activity would have
made the courtyard a lively extension of the kitchen workspace.
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