 |
"Quality
Poplar Bark Siding
From The
Appalachian Mountains"
 |
According to historical records, the first people to live in bark dwellings were the North American Indians. English explorers and settlers during the 1600s encountered the Waxhaw Indians located in what is now Union and Lancaster counties of North and South Carolina respectively. In the English settlers’ journals and sketchbooks, they made records of the lifestyle of the Waxhaws, and to their amazement, the Indians dwelled in bark huts. The Waxhaws had already discovered that bark was a superb covering for their dwellings. Their entire village was covered in bark cladding. These huts were waterproof and extremely durable. Replicas of these huts can be seen at the Museum of the Waxhaws located in Waxhaw, North Carolina.
|
|
Replica of Waxhaw Indian hut, Museum of the Waxhaws, Waxhaw NC
Tree bark has also been used for centuries in the tanning process. Bark is soaked in boiled water to create a tanning solution for animal hides. During the mid-nineteenth century, another use for bark was discovered: an exterior covering was needed for buildings, sheds, and homes, and spare bark from the tanning process was readily available. With this idea, bark siding made its introduction into the lives of rural and mountain people. Not only was bark suitable for exterior cladding, but it also lent a rustic and idyllic charm to the dwellings.
 |
Tree showing blight cankers
The original tree of choice for bark siding was the chestnut tree. This tree once comprised 25% of the natural forest on the east coast. But at the beginning of the twentieth century, an imported overseas fungus found its way underneath the bark of chestnut trees and caused blight in the species.. Unfortunately, the chestnut tree was extremely susceptible to the foreign fungus. It infected the trees, spread throughout the eastern United States, and has essentially wiped out the tree as a species. Chestnut could no longer be used for anything. With the decline of the chestnut tree, so went the decline of chestnut bark siding.
But later in the twentieth century it became obvious that another tree species could be used for siding purposes: the abundant yellow tulip poplar. Found throughout the eastern United States, the yellow poplar has the same (and in our opinion better) cladding qualities as the chestnut tree. Rugged, durable, and full of natural beauty, yellow poplar became the new source for bark shingles. One look at this type bark applied to a stylish home, it becomes obvious why this is so. Thus with the selection of yellow tulip poplar, bark siding has made a resurgence and is now being featured on homes and buildings across North America.
 |
"Hand
Selected
And Crafted
With Pride...
Beautiful Bark
Home Cladding"