Photo 1-YJA-4

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This house is on Van Wert Road/30 Mile Road, just to the south of the Hanover Road intersection. It is on the border of Calhoun and Jackson County, on the Calhoun County side, Homer Township. There aren't too many mansard style roofed homes in the area so this one stands out.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/6086960...

I understand that this type of cut stone was often achieved by chiseling a groove around the stone and putting paraffin-soaked twine into the groove. Igniting the twine creates a narrow band of very hot stone. The stone mason then set up a fracture by hitting a pitching chisel, moving around and around until the stone split. I once stumbled upon a basement of a long-gone farmhouse that had stone finished like this on the interior wall. Truly, it nearly looked fake, it was so well done. Doubly amazing, because the basement had been in the elements for at least 50 years.

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