This smokehouse was built circa 1850 in the Mohawk Valley of New York state of hand-hewn timbers, mortised and tenoned together and fastened with oak pegs.
The brick fire box, located outside of the smokehouse, contains a slow burning hardwood fire. The smoke from the fire travels into the smokehouse, both flavoring and preserving the meat.
In the days before refrigeration, such small homestead smokehouses played a vital role in preserving a family’s supply of meat and fish.
