The Spellman McLaughlin Home is a historic home on

Cayman Brac Cayman Brac is an island that is part of the Cayman Islands. It lies in the Caribbean Sea about north-east of Grand Cayman and east of Little Cayman. It is about long, with an average width of . Its terrain is the most prominent of the th ...

, Cayman Islands. Located in Creek, Cayman Brac, the home stands on the top of a small hill alongside Creek Road.

Construction

Spellman McLaughin, who hailed from East End, Grand Cayman, moved to Cayman Brac with his family at age 16 and married there. In 1926, he began constructing the home to his own design. Constructed of timber imported from Mobile, Alabama and

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

, the planks were cut on-site. Although he had help with the home's construction, McLaughlin oversaw every detail himself and construction would have to be halted when he went off to sea, which he had to do in order to earn his living. Built largely of

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

, the home was completed in 1930 and full-section log posts were sunk into the ground to support the home above the ground. Very few nails were used in the home's construction and cedar shingles were used as roofing for the home. The home's roof was constructed with three

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

ends at the front of it, giving the impression that the house has two storeys, when it actually has only one.

Layout

The home has eight exterior rooms built around a central dining room. Each of these rooms has windows and a door to the home's wrap-around

verandah A veranda or verandah is a roofed, open-air gallery or porch, attached to the outside of a building. A veranda is often partly enclosed by a railing and frequently extends across the front and sides of the structure. Although the form ''vera ...

. The home's rooms that face northwest and central dining room were designed to be the home's formal rooms and have elaborate ceilings. The home's dining room has diagonal wall

paneling Panelling (or paneling in the U.S.) is a millwork wall covering constructed from rigid or semi-rigid components. These are traditionally interlocking wood, but could be plastic or other materials. Panelling was developed in antiquity to make ro ...

and the home's front sitting room has a domed, beaded board ceiling. The rooms on the southeastern side of the home, which were considered to be the hottest, did not have ceilings so hot air could rise into the roof space, therefore keeping the room as cool as possible. The kitchen, housed in a separate structure outside the home at the time of construction, was later installed in the southeastern section.

1932 storm

130 people sought shelter in the storm during “the great hurricane of 1932” which caused heavy destruction to Cayman Brac in November of that year. The home's windows managed to hold and despite a boulder crashing through the home's front door which allowed water to enter, the storm inflicted no further damage. The home was amongst the few structures to survive the storm intact and served as a distribution point for scarce emergency supplies sent from

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

The home nowadays

Today, the wood used to construct the home is still in good condition, despite exposure from the sun, wind and salt. Zinc roofing now covers the roof, although the original cedar roofing lies underneath. The home received the Award of Distinction for the Preservation of Historic Places in 1995 by the

National Trust for the Cayman Islands The National Trust for the Cayman Islands is the national trust serving the Cayman Islands. Its purposes are to preserve sites of artistic and architectural interest in the islands and to provide protection for local natural resources and wildlife. ...

. This award was presented to Spellman McLaughlin's daughter, Brunzil Rivers, who lived in the home at the time with her family. As of 2011, Rivers and her family have moved and put the home up for sale. The house was purchased by Dan & Lisa Scott. They have beautifully restored the home. The zinc roof has been replaced with cedar shingles.

References

*http://www.nationaltrust.org.ky/index.php/info-sheets/spellman-mclaughlin-home *http://www.greatcaymanproperty.com/Captain_Spellman_McLaughlin_House.html {{coord, 19.7453, -79.7666, type:landmark_region:KY, display=title Buildings and structures in the Cayman Islands Houses completed in 1930 Buildings and structures in Cayman Brac