Authentic Reconstruction
Oral history and written records provided no descriptions of Riverside's detached kitchen as it looked in the 1840s during Gabriel Farnsley’s time. Thus, archaeological research furnished the information critical to interpreting the building's size and identifying what it was built from, what kind of roof and floor it had, and where the windows and doors were located.
Based on the types and sizes of nails, researchers determined that the kitchen was a wood, timber-framed building with wood siding, shake roof, and flooring. Window glass fragments - found in two main concentrations - signaled where windows had likely been located. Door hardware, such as a doorknob and lock assembly, was found in an area where the door had likely been.
The use of archaeological data and the attention to detail in the building's reconstruction make the Riverside detached kitchen one of most authentic reconstructions of its kind. Furthermore, the project's focus on public participation, programming and education made the research and reconstruction of this building an interactive experience. Since the building is a functional kitchen, nineteenth-century cooking demonstrations take place there, continuing the educational focus at Riverside.