American Chimneys A Brief History of Style  Rumford fireplaces
influenced chimney design in America. Before 1796 - before
Rumford published his first essay on fireplace design -
fireplaces were deep. Of course there were many central chimneys
but chimneys built on exterior walls were built outside of the
exterior walls of the house.  Williamsburg, 1760 A chimney in
Williamsburg, for example, restored to about the 1760, before
Rumford did his fireplace work, is outside the structure of the
building.  Notice the separation between the chimney and the
roof for fire safety. Fire safety strategies, too, have changed
over the years. See sidebar.  This Tidewater Colonial house
built in 1750 can be dated "before Rumford" because the chimney
is built on the outside of the exterior wall to accommodate a
deep pre-Rumford fireplace.  Tidewater Colonial, 1750  Norfolk,
VA c 1807 After 1796, when the shallow reflective Rumford
fireplaces swept the country, chimneys came inside or were
incorporated into the exterior walls o