The home
is made mainly of dirt and stone, both very abundant resources in
the Highlands (and
in New Hampshire also).
Usually the house was built into a hillside and consisted of an
inner and outer stone wall with a layer of dirt between them.New Boston, NH
The black house (shown below) is being built as a typical dwelling used by the Highland Scots of our period would be built.
The home
is made mainly of dirt and stone, both very abundant resources in
the Highlands (and
in New Hampshire also).
Usually the house was built into a hillside and consisted of an
inner and outer stone wall with a layer of dirt between them.
The roof
structure was made of timbers and either peat or thatched roof.
Because of the lack of peat in NH we are opting for the thatched
roof.
The Black house was usually dark (dhu) due to the lack of windows, and the soot from the fire.
The smoke from
the fire exited through a hole in the roof. 
The livestock had its place on one end and the humans on the other. If you have any questions send them in, we'll be happy to try and answer them.
This section will be expanded as the project continues.
Some equipment used in the
construction of the Black house
may be of modern origin or so the rumor goes.
Thanks to Butch for the use of his ancient highland backhoe,
an invaluable (historically questionable) tool for transporting
stones.
Copyright 
1999 Historic Highlanders