Archival Research:

We started our research by visiting the Carleton Archives in the Gould Library. We were able to find some really helpful documents, such as mortgages and deed transfers. With these documents, we were able to establish a preliminary timeline of the ownership of Seccombe. 

Carleton Resources:

Beyond the archives, we looked into other Carleton resources. The Carletonian helped us figure out when the house was moved. Carleton Utilities also provided records that the Gould Library didn’t have. Through these documents, we were able to find the dates that Seccombe House was used as student, and then eventually faculty housing.

Community Outreach:

We also reached out to sources beyond the Carleton, like the Northfield Historical Society, and Northfield Utilities. We were able to make connections, like using the official remodel record to connect to the kitchen floor plans from 2009 that we received from Carleton. We also started looking into the history of Northfield. We found documents listing historic houses, and looked into how houses might had been moved in 1916.

Field Work:

As a group, we had the opportunity to visit the first floor of the current Seccombe house. We took photos to compare to our remodel records, and picked up some paint samples to test. The purpose of testing this paint is to use the amount of lead in each layer of paint to see when the house was repainted. We also picked up miscellaneous objects in the basement.