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GLENCOE FAMILY HOME
This is a typical family home at Glencoe. Most homes were built with brick nogging, hand sawed timbers, tin roofs, brick pier foundations and simple, functional design. Houses varied in size from three to six rooms, with 16' by 16' the average room size. A central hallway opens onto rooms to the east and west. Upstairs there are usually two rooms, with the railing from the narrow staircase extending into the west room. Originally, there was a detached kitchen of brick and batten construction set behind the house, but attached kitchens were later added to the back of the east wing, forming an L. The connected kitchens typically have side porches that face the river and the mill (west). Open wells served four houses each and all homes had outhouse toilets.
The village homes were built by the mill owners and rented to the workers. In 1890, if an unskilled husband and wife and one child worked in the mill during full operation, they would earn $11.40 a week and pay 50 cents rent for their house. The mill owners may not have profited from this arrangement, but there were other advantages. For example, the housing helped to insure a stable supply of labor since the company could draw men, women, and children to work in the mill. The proximity of the homes to the mill permitted a more flexible work schedule to match irregular production schedules and news of production cutbacks or shutdowns could be easily circulated to the employees. Since the rent was inexpensive, it fostered loyalty to the company as well as a degree of control. An employee who upset the company stood to lose not only his job but also his home!