Mocanaqua Saltbox

Colonial Purlin Series – Small-Footprint Timber Frame Kit

This little saltbox is our heartfelt tribute to the hardworking families of the anthracite coal fields and the deep New England roots that run right through our own backyard.

In the late 1800s, the West End Coal Company built a tidy row of saltbox-style company houses along Italy Street and River Street in Mocanaqua, just across the river from Shickshinny. These modest homes gave miner families shelter, warmth, and a bit of dignity in a tough world — steep rear roofs to shed heavy snow, a practical lean-to addition for extra space, and simple, sturdy construction that has quietly outlasted the mines themselves.

Long before the coal breakers rose, this very stretch of the Susquehanna Valley was claimed by Connecticut settlers during the Pennamite–Yankee Wars (1769–1784). Those Yankee families brought their New England building traditions with them — the very saltbox form that originated in coastal Massachusetts and Connecticut in the 1600s. After the fighting ended, they stayed, became Pennsylvanians, and their architectural DNA became part of our local landscape.

Our Mocanaqua Saltbox brings that story full circle.

• Classic asymmetrical saltbox roof with the long rear slope

• Principal rafter + purlin frame (perfect for SIPs, wrap-and-strap enclosures, or traditional sheathing)

• Optional front porch that stretches the living space outdoors

• Second-floor loft that makes the tiny footprint feel surprisingly open and grand

• Heavy timbers that create the same airy, welcoming volume you feel inside the best old saltboxes

Whether you picture it as a backyard studio, guest cottage, weekend retreat, or full-time tiny home, this frame carries the spirit of the coal-company houses on Italy Street and the Connecticut Yankees who first brought the saltbox to Pennsylvania soil.

Base kit size example: 12 × 16 (or scale it to your lot)

Timber: Southern Yellow Pine (standard) or Eastern White Pine upgrade

Ready for: SIPs, metal roof, big windows, woodstove, and the life you want to build.