Center chimney houses were popular and common because they heated the large houses very efficiently. There were fireplaces in most every room, including the second floor bedrooms. Less brick was used than in their younger siblings of the early 1800's with two chimneys, one on each end of the house. The placement of the large chimney resulted in a small front foyer (as opposed to the grander front halls in later houses), and a u-shaped staircase occasionally called a Captain's staircase. Our house currently has 6 fireplaces. We have three large cooking fireplaces (in the Kitchen, Dining Room and Basement), one moderate sized fireplace in the Living Room, a small fireplace in the Office, and a hidden fireplace (hidden behind paneling) in the Master Bedroom. We also believe that there originally was a seventh fireplace behind drywall in the Guest Bedroom. We believe that this was removed around the 1860's and was possibly used as a hiding spot for slaves on the Underground Railroad. A vent was placed in the floor to bring heat up from the Dining Room into the bedroom.
