While walking down the street in Williamsburg this weekend at the SHA I came across a building called the "Lumber House". Didn't see a stick of wood anywhere near it. 

-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Bunny
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 11:38 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: HISTARCH Digest - 14 Jan 2007 to 15 Jan 2007 (#2007-12)


One of my favorite tools for unlocking mysteries such as this is the 
"American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language."  Here, in part, is 
what is says about "lumber":
    "2.  Chiefly British.  Miscellaneous stored articles.  3.  Anything 
useless or cumbersome. ... [Possibly a blend of LUMBER (to move clumsily) 
and LOMBARD (in the sense of a storehouse or pawnshop, from the 
moneychangers of Lombardy)."
    Bunny Fontana

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Neal Hitch" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 5:28 AM
Subject: Re: HISTARCH Digest - 14 Jan 2007 to 15 Jan 2007 (#2007-12)


On housing inventory lists "lumber" is usually associated with the storage 
of miscellaneous property or seasonal items. A "Lumber Room" is often found 
in early 19th century homes. This room is where carpets and other floor 
coverings changed by the season would be stored for instance. Today, I think 
we would call this our "junk room."  So, "curious lumber" could perhaps be 
translated as the probate assessor saying: "What an interesting collection 
of junk you have in this room, I am not even quite sure what to call it."

Neal Hitch
Ohio Historical Society


-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [SMTP:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Pat 
Reynolds
Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2007 3:26 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: HISTARCH Digest - 14 Jan 2007 to 15 Jan 2007 (#2007-12)

In message <[log in to unmask]>, HISTARCH
automatic digest system <[log in to unmask]> writes
>maybe a long shot here: has anyone heard/seen anything about miscellaneous
>odds & ends of lumber being called "curious"?
>maybe early half of the 19th century, and maybe only in british usage...?
The OED records meanings for 'curious' = "delicate", "dainty", "made
with skill" - would any of those work in your context? The OED doesn't
have the phrase, but putting it into a search engine comes up with two
19th century references, from New York and Robert Louis Stevenson.

Cheers,

Pat
(who thanks you for the occasion to look up 'lumber' in the OED, too -
in the sense of 'bits of furniture, and other things' it's related to
lumber in the sense of 'a pawn shop', which is derived from 'Lombard'.
-- 
Pat Reynolds