Thomas James Store, Interior View:

The wall shown here once formed the exterior front of the early store building. Although the siding was removed sometime in the 19th century, the shed addition to the structure (in which the photographer stands) preserved much of the store's original framing components (studs, sills, plates, and joist ends) visible here—offering a perfect illustration of the way such buildings were constructed during the early 19th century. Carpenters chiseled matching sets of Roman numerals into the timbers in order to join mortise holes in the horizontal members with their corresponding tenons on the vertical studs. The store roof's original sheathing is barely visible in the upper right corner where it slopes above the joists' butt ends. (Photo: Jorin Hood)