Piecing together history through roofs

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn about the significance of the industry’s past and how it can help us understand the legacy we are all a part of today. 

This AskARoofer Podcast episode features Megan Ellsworth and Lauren White discussing the history of the roofing industry with the help of industry expert John Kenney from Cotney Consulting Group.John is a third-generation roofer with over 45 years of experience in the industry. He shared, “My grandfather started in the roofing business in 1922, which is why I love history so much.”  

One of the distinct challenges of tracking how the industry got to where it is today is the lack of records cataloguing the work of past roofing professionals. John explained, “The greatest knowledge comes from proposals, quotations throughout the years and the original manufacturer's literature because that really told a story. And unfortunately, a lot of that is gone.” But John has been collecting what he can find to try and preserve for future generations, some of which he brought with him during the recording to share with listeners. 

1600s church clay 

One of the pieces that John brought in was a clay tile that came “off of a church out in the west, in the Arizona area. It was one of the early Spanish churches where the park was around where the Navajo Nation were.” The building was built back in the early 1600s and the tile was hand baked and then used on the original roof of the building. 

Presidential pieces 

Another piece he brought in was slate that came from the John Quincy Adams house in Massachusetts. The house dates back to 1719 and is named for the 6th American President, who was born there in 1767. The particular piece of slate John brought was acquired during the national parks reroofing project. John explained, “When you ask for it, they'll sell it to you and that they were very fair about it, but it comes with all the proper documentations that it actually is off of their houses.” And this is not the only presidential roof he has a piece of, “As verified by our national parks commission, I have a piece of the original wood shake roof from George Washington's house in Virginia when they did it.” 

Mid-1800s marketing 

Besides fragments of original roofs, one of the big resources that can be found about roofing history are marketing campaigns. These can often be found in archives, like some library’s historical newspaper collections. John described finding out how some contractors would use branded bed warmers to keep their company in mind through cold nights without heating. He explained, “What's neat is to see how it corresponds with society as society went along.” 

Read the transcript or Listen to the full episode to learn more about roofing history!