Hand-Split Siding

This photo was taken at Plimouth Settlement. The wood siding shown was split from logs and attached with hand-made iron nails. I asked an enactor why there was clapboard on these houses, but not on houses in the Jamestown, VA Settlement? Both houses were built of timber frames and the walls were filled in with waddle (branches woven together) and daub (a mixture of mud and organic materials added for strength).He told me that they didn't have a good source of lime in the Plimoth Plantation area. They had tried burning oyster shells but it was labor intensive. The lime, when added to the mud, waterproofs the mixture. Without lime, the walls will quickly eroded by the rain. Also, as the Bay Colony is so much colder than Virginia, a layer of clapboard helps insulate the home.