Hardware

The accuracy of documents dating Belle Grove could be verified by examining nail and screw types. These specific nail and screw types date to the first quarter of the nineteenth century.

“L” Head Cut Nails
These nails were machine cut and used as finish nails in the trim. They came in various sizes depending on the size of the trim.

Stamped Head Cut Nails
The heads on these nails were stamped by a machine and used in framing. Because they would not be seen in the finished house, their appearance was irrelevant. The care taken to make “L” nails small and discreet was omitted with this hardware.

Screws
Screws without a point were manufactured prior to 1846. In this year, Sloan was granted a U.S. Patent which provided the technology to taper the ends of screws.

Hinges
Five-part hinges from Belle Grove (see below) were made of cast iron. They feature a fixed pin and pointless screws. By contrast, a later hinge from the S.A. Coffman House (circa 1870s) on the property of Belle Grove has been stamped out of metal, the pin is removable and the screws are pointed.