Cob: re: Tabby

[Claude Stephens]

>I just this AM discovered this definition of "tabby" as a building
>material.
>Sounds pretty local & natural to me.
>I realize it's not cob, but thought it might be something the list might
>like to chew on a bit.
>So if anybody knows a bit about this, please share it to the list.
......
>TABBY = (in the region of) South Atlantic U.S. -  A mixture of oyster
>shells, lime, sand, and water
>used as a building material.

Howdy to yas,
I used to live down in Florida and ran into Tabby foundations a number of
times.  There are some Tabby foundations in the state parks near St.
Augustine and some on the coastal Sea Islands of Georgia.  I seem to
remember that a good number of them dated to the 1700s and some to the
1600s.  Must be tough stuff because the foundations (all that is left of
some of the buildings) made of Tabby are still there in spite of the harsh
coastal conditions.  I suggest contacting one of the coastal Florida museums
as a starting point for more information.  The Museum of Florida History is
in Tallahassee.  Of course in those regions, oyster shell is a waste
product.  They use it for road base among other things.  It's cheap by the
truck load.  Oyster shell middens (trash heaps of early native people) are
still evident in many areas.  The oldest are out in the Gulf of Mexico under
water.  Of course they were not under water when they were originally piled
up.  Tabby foundations might be a good type of foundation for cob builders
in the southeast.  A good way to get the cob up and away from the splash
zone and a way to deal with damp up.  Just a guess.

Claude Stephens
cstephens at bernheim.org