Smokehouses & Rigs

On the family farm where I was raised, we had a smokehouse of the old-timey sort. My grandfather, Jeff Livingston, built it from rough, unfinished lumber hewn from the tall pines that he had cleared from the land. During my lifetime the smokehouse has had a tin roof put on, with lead-capped nails, but I am certain that the original roof, like that of the main house, was made of wooden shingles. Believe it or not, grandpa put the family tub in the smokehouse. The main house didn’t have a bathroom because there was no electricity or running water. The smokehouse was beside the well, making it more convenient for the tub. Later, when an electric pump and running water became available, the tub was moved into the main house.