The Shell House (p2)
After taking a look around on the inside of the Shell House, we decided to take it outside. The building was served by two sets of rails, one for each side of the building. From one end, the paper rolls and other materials were brought in from Warehouse Row on the plant’s safety side to the north. On the other end - the end we now were exploring - the finished shells were loaded on horse-drawn rail cars to be brought down to the packing houses along the line. Today this side had become horribly overgrown, making it hard to images a rail line running alongside. (Get a better view with the BIG PICTURE)
Brick was always an expensive material to build buildings out of, and the amount of work and money that went into this one must of been impressive. Here’s a closer look at the brickwork along the buildings roof line. Interestingly the bricks seem to be bending, perhaps from age?
Here’s a closer look at the window damage that can be found on almost every window along the building. I believe that this was the work of scavengers, who removed the valuable sandstone sills that probably once graced these windows. (you can still see the sandstone header at the top of the window, which was probably too hard to remove)
As we near the back of the structure we notice yet another one of those yellow markings, this time on the outside of the doorway. In the background we notice a quaint little brick smokestack and head out to investigate.
This has got to be one of the prettiest little stacks I’ve seen in the Copper Country yet. The brick-work is amazing and is the fact that its still standing after being left out in the woods for decades. In the background is the end of the Shell House. The presence of this stack is why the Shell House sits so far away from the rest of the production line. The possibility of burning embers or sparks coming off of the stack would of been a problem closer to the volatile explosives.
The smokestack was part of a small building - whose remains you can see above - that accompanied the shell house. This was the wax house, where the paraffin wax used to coat the shells was first melted down into a molten state. It would then go over to the shell house to be used as a dipping sauce.
Moving on…
I’m guessing (from the photos and from experience) that the bricks aren’t actually bending, they’re weathering in place. From the photos, it looks like the bricks are being worn away into the wall, resulting in a curved appearance.
I’ve seen similar things on a bunch of brick structures, such as the support to the entrance to the boiler stack at the Champion Mill.
dcclark | July 1, 2008
That is a pretty little chimney. You can tell the guys who built this stuff took old fashioned pride in their work.
I wonder whether or not this brick was locally made? My guess would be that it was, but I don’t know that. Only that there is plenty of Lake Superior clay along the South Shore that decent brick was made from in other places, like at Superior City and Ashland.
This Senter is an interesting place. If we get up the UP again this summer we may have to go there. Can you drive close to the Senter ruins with a car or truck? My pal is an older guy and isn’t much for bushwhacking thru the woods any great distance.
Herb | July 2, 2008
I feel the same way about that chimney. The first time I was there it was the one thing that stood out in my mind. Such attention to detail. Its made more beautiful by the fact that the rest of the buildings around it are in ruin, now sitting deep in a wild forest yet it stands there intact, all alone almost.
As far as driving to the ruins, not really. There is a major road that runs through the middle of the old grounds that allows you to see the stack, warehouses, and a few other ruins. But the mass majority of what’s left (especially the powder line) sits deep in the woods and out of reach.
explorer | July 3, 2008