A final example of comfort and elegance in the Deane House can be seen in sunny second floor hall. Here you can again admire the beautifully carved banister (see image). You can realize again that it is because of that off-center door that a hall like this is possible at all. Most Georgian Houses of the 1700s were very symmetrical -- the front door in the center with two windows on either side. But that front door led to a dark hallway that ran from front to back. This off-center door allows for two very sunny and inviting hallways on the first and second floors of the Deane house. Can't you just picture Elizabeth Deane sitting here on a pleasant spring day sewing or writing letters with a breeze coming through the open windows? With no fireplace here, the hall could be closed off in the winter, but for about eight months a year it would have been a favorite spot for family members, and even a few special guests, to relax and enjoy their days. The Museum has also discovered that it was an excellent spot for musicians who provided entertainment for parties and dances.

On the open desk today we would like you to notice a copy of a pamphlet (see image), which Silas wrote in 1783. You will learn much more about this pamphlet and all the trouble that it caused Silas as you study the lessons in Silas Deane Online. (You can read all his words in Document 30.) There is also a link to one of the pages of the open pamphlet (see image).