Brass and iron fittings for candles and oil. Most were small and portable, of course.

It would be exceedingly rare for a Georgian house to have any kind of exterior lighting. Candles would have been the main source of evening illumination and putting light outside just wasn't done. If you went out at night you carried the light source with you.

As "apple" noted brass and iron were common metals used for candle holders as was bronze (often with gold trim in the better houses) as well as pewter and tin. Just remember that clear coating metals, especially brass, to maintain their shine and finish is a relatively modern process. The only way things maintained a shine in the 1700's was through elbow grease or gilding. So whatever you choose do not choose "polished" anything.

You are very lucky in that you are undertaking this restoration in the age of the internet. I would suggest that you make Google your friend and start doing a lot of research.

It looks like a lovely stone house. Will you be restoring the porch?

Thank you for you help. This is all new to me! Thank heavens for Google, but it is a bit overwhelming since I know absolutely nothing about architecture or that period. The home needs a lot of work and we are trying to restore it as accurately as possible within our limited budget. Yes, we are planning to restore the porch. Any information about this time period and architecture would be greatly appreciated.

I admire you and your charging into this project. I have done a number of renovations on old stone houses and have enjoyed them all. One of the best sources of information is usually a local historic society. I checked out your area and it turns out that you have a house in the neighborhood that is quite similar to yours. You may want to go and have a look and talk to them. http://www.dauphincountyhistory.org/mansion/ This is quite a slavish restoration and may not be what you are trying to do, but it could be a good starting point.

This is also a good book that can give you a history of the Georgian period. http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Georgian-Henrietta-Spencer-Churchill/dp/0847820424 It is British Georgian but still the "New World" version of Georgian was very similar. The big porch for example is not common in Britain, but became common in the colonies as a direct result of the weather.

Have fun and post a lot of images. Your interior photos really show what you are up to.

Gorgeous Georgian, yummy.

Thank you Michael,
I have been to the John Harris-Simon Cameron Mansion and you are correct it is very lavish compared to our home and it is absolutely beautiful. We will definitely touch base with the local historical societies and check out your book recommendation. Our biggest dilemma is trying to figure out what is original and what is not; front door style, wood work around windows, interior doors, base boards. Your comments are greatly appreciated!!!

So jealous!!!! What a labor of love. My dream one day is to restore an old home somewhere on the east coast or south. For now I am renovating our first home here in Los Angeles. A 1946 home- hardly grand or Georgian. Please post lots of pics! Oh, and as an antiques dealer I second those thoughts on the previous discussion about metals. Everyday homes would have had mostly iron, tin, pewter and brass. Bronze and anything gilded would have been found in wealthier homes.

HARMONY,
I'm curious to know if the panels that are visible in some of your interior photos at the sides of the windows are fold-back shutters? It would have been a common detail at the time.
Also the wall paper that appears in several photos is interesting. A 1930's vintage I would say.

You were wondering about original parts. It may be hard to tell from just the style of the door or baseboard. Many different paneled door styles were used throughout the period and those in the photos you posted would be appropriate for the time. Have you tried to tell how they are constructed and of what material? That is often a big help in determining age.

Are you restoring this for use as a house or a commercial use?

The window panels are not shutters just raised panels. I have another property that has built in shutter, built in shutters would have been a nice surprise.

Still not sure of the door wood but we know the floors are white pine. We are debating about using the original doors, they are split and have hooks and nail & drill holes and are not in very good shape. We are concerned that they may not hold up to the wear and tear we have experience at our other venues.

The cowboy wall paper may have been from the late 40's - early 50's , my uncle had similar wallpaper in his room as a young boy. .

We have two buildings on the property and this building will be used as a bridal suite and small gathering/event space to compliment our other building which is a simple rectangular ballroom we renovated in 1999 that was originally built around 1986 by the Easter Seals of PA as part of their summer camp " Camp Harmony" .

We have some information that leads us to believe that the farm house may have been the first regiment head quarters for Camp George G. Meade. But we have conflicting information and are trying to sort that out with the help of several local historical societies. .

Sounds like an interesting project. Have fun.