Found Antique PM house

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~Ray~Gingerich
Posts: 2122
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:24 pm
Location: Delaware/Dover

I was out driving around and found this antique PM house. Don't know what that is sticking out on the on the end?
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~Ray~ Gingerich
1999 1pair, 2006 2 pair, 2008 2 pair,
2009 23 pair, 2010 39 pair, 2011 67 pair,
2012 115 pair, 2013 160 pair,
2014 152 pair, 2015 174 pair, 2016 178 pair
2017 187 pair, 2018 200 pair, 2019 171pair
2020 233 pair
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JamesinIA
Posts: 329
Joined: Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:43 am
Location: Iowa/Wellman

Nice photo. I like the old wood shingles that are sticking out under the asphalt ones. That looks kind of like a Blue Bird house on the end that is missing the front and bottom.
2009 One ASY pair 5 eggs 5 fledged 2010 2 pair 5 fledged 2011 8 pair 27 fledged 2012 14 pair 38 fledged
2013 20 pair 64 fledged 2014 19 pair fledged 84 2015 26 pair fledged 124 2016 36 pair fledged 156 2017 40 pair fledged 156
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Dale D

The design looks like 16 room of 6x6x6. Probably a beautiful house for the era it was made in. Did it look as though any martins may still be using it? Might want to go back during martin season just to see.
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DornCounty
Posts: 2169
Joined: Tue Feb 14, 2012 3:58 pm
Location: Rural SE Kansas
Martin Colony History: .
.
Trio-Jedi

looking at the holes, it doesn't look like anything had been using it.
2017 - Home & Public Colonies - 300 Cavities
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Louise Chambers
Site Admin
Posts: 6208
Joined: Tue Nov 04, 2003 1:07 pm
Location: Corpus Christi, TX

The open 'doors' on the end remind me of a hayloft - maybe that was included as access for cleaning the house, or just to give it the appearance of a barn. Old martin houses are neat!
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~Ray~Gingerich
Posts: 2122
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:24 pm
Location: Delaware/Dover

After looking at another photo I think James may be right. The addition has a solid back wall. My first thought was a clean out door.
Image
~Ray~ Gingerich
1999 1pair, 2006 2 pair, 2008 2 pair,
2009 23 pair, 2010 39 pair, 2011 67 pair,
2012 115 pair, 2013 160 pair,
2014 152 pair, 2015 174 pair, 2016 178 pair
2017 187 pair, 2018 200 pair, 2019 171pair
2020 233 pair
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ThomasOutlaw
Posts: 9
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2012 4:25 pm
Location: Virginia/Glen Allen

If there was a cover on the end compartment and open from below, the end compartment might be a little bat house. Or, if the end compartment had a cover on the front and below, it could have just been a single compartment house from some other species of bird.
2011 - 0 Martins
2012 - Some Visitors
2013 - Some Visitors
2014 - 2Pair - 1 ASY pair fledged 5 babies and 1 SY pair fledged 2 babies
2015- 7 Pairs w/28 total eggs as of 5/19/2015
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~Ray~Gingerich
Posts: 2122
Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 10:24 pm
Location: Delaware/Dover

Thomas, looking at the paint line it does looks like there was a bottom at one time. If the bottom or front had a cut out slot and one at the top with access into attic it might have been a multi purpose PM/bat house, the attic has excellent ventilation.
~Ray~ Gingerich
1999 1pair, 2006 2 pair, 2008 2 pair,
2009 23 pair, 2010 39 pair, 2011 67 pair,
2012 115 pair, 2013 160 pair,
2014 152 pair, 2015 174 pair, 2016 178 pair
2017 187 pair, 2018 200 pair, 2019 171pair
2020 233 pair
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daveh
Posts: 761
Joined: Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:40 am
Location: Kingsville Mo.

Ray, Is that a louver type wood vent on end of house or just saw slits that lead to the attic?

dave
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Matt F.
Posts: 3978
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2005 9:48 am
Location: Houston, TX

Great photo Ray!
Someone definitely put some time into building that Martin house.
If only it could talk...........
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ToyinPA
Posts: 2227
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 6:07 pm
Location: PA/Avis
Martin Colony History: The 1972 St. Agnes flood wiped out all the Martins in my area. One day, in 1997-98, 5 or 6 Martins landed on the power wires crossing my back yard. I had no house for them. They kept coming back day after day. We got a martin house a few weeks later & they have been coming back every year since. I average 12-15 pair per year.

Ray we actually still have some of these old style houses, on bent or leaning poles, in a few yards in my town. They date back to the 50's! I have yet to see any martins in them, but back then they were full. Most are falling apart now.

Toy in PA
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barry resvick
Posts: 185
Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2011 3:07 pm
Location: Alberta/Didsbury
Martin Colony History: 2010 we had just one sy male all summer
2011 we had the same male come back but eventually brought home a female and had five eggs but were infertile
2012 we had our first two chicks but lost them
2013 we fledged six and had two pair
2014 we fledged 13 from four pairs
2015 we fledged 24 from 6 pairs

Toy,next time you drive by why dont you check and see if any of the others have this compartment on the end.Maybe if there is,one of them will still be complete.This house may have been built from a set of plans and if so,they probably all had this box on the end.My guess is that it was probably a small bat house or even a suet feeder,it could even of been a hopper style ground egg shell feeder.
2010______2 visitors
2011______1asy male 3 visitors
2012______1 pair,possibly2(5 infertile eggs)
2013______2 pair,5infertile eggs,4hatched,0 fledged
2014______3 pair,Fledged 13
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pmcharter1
Posts: 110
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:59 pm
Location: iowa/madrid

i would love to see deeper in that compartment on the side of that house. whoever built that house, was ahead in time.top row, look at the metal flashing underneath the lenght of the porches, may have had them on the bottom, but cant tell( or rotted away).if you look closer at the side. you can see that the wing entrapment on this side of the house was added after the main frame of the house was built. above that are 5 cut outs that look like ventilation to me.which we all know, our houses need that incase of a hot summer.the opening doesnt appear for martins to access the bottom as the attatchment seems to be to high for that, to access any room, so it doesnt appear to be an enterence to a room.if the house has that same tunnell entrapment on the other side,- with know way to access a room, i would venture its for ventilation.
respectfully. PM charter1
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pmcharter1
Posts: 110
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2012 2:59 pm
Location: iowa/madrid

i would love to see deeper in that compartment on the side of that house. whoever built that house, was ahead in time.top row, look at the metal flashing underneath the lenght of the porches, may have had them on the bottom, but cant tell( or rotted away).if you look closer at the side. you can see that the wing entrapment on this side of the house was added after the main frame of the house was built. above that are 5 cut outs that look like ventilation to me.which we all know, our houses need that incase of a hot summer.the opening doesnt appear for martins to access the bottom as the attatchment seems to be to high for that, to access any room, so it doesnt appear to be an enterence to a room.if the house has that same tunnell entrapment on the other side,- with know way to access a room, i would venture its for ventilation.
respectfully. PM charter1
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