As the house was aloft, waiting for the concrete contractors to come pour a new foundation, we had many volunteers on site working to get the area ready. Numerous old pillars and pilings had to be removed to make room. Some of the more interesting pieces were large sandstone pillars that were put into place when the Haller addition was being built in 1866.
We have yet to find a record of the pillars being purchased or delivered, so there is no definitive knowledge of where they came from, however there was Henry Roeder’s Chuckanut sandstone quarry out of Bellingham and we know that he and Haller were acquainted. Most likely they were sent down by ship and delivered directly to Haller’s wharf, located conveniently right across the street from his future home.
Historic Whidbey hopes to reuse the pillars and put them on display somewhere on the property. A reminder of how far we come in renovating this house and giving it a new life. Stay tuned for more updates!
