The Van Natta family home on Parmenter Road was the second home built in Bernardston, and as you walk through the mansion, built in 1747, you'll see centuries-old aspects and decades of history. Considering the evidence of dozens of changes, it feels like time travel. The latest update was made by Van Nattas himself. As with the slate roof, consideration was given to preserving the material. According to an architectural overview provided by the Van Nattas, this unusual slab was only discovered around Guilford, Vermont.
Jason Parmenter (the road's namesake) served in the Revolutionary War and later participated in the famous Shay's Rebellion. Significant changes were made to the house throughout the 19th century, and in the early 20th century some of the planks used in its renovation were salvaged from the Swift River House, which had been demolished to make way for the Quabbin Reservoir. It's tempting to dig deep into the archives, but let's focus on the current residents.
Margot Fleming and Eric Van Natta met through friends and married in 2010. Margot was an assistant basketball coach at St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont. She then applied for other physical education jobs, but “my heart wasn't in it,” she said. “I wanted to do something different…I didn't know what.” Margot says after using a dog walking service to exercise her pup when she couldn't do it herself, she I learned about another career path. Margot Her Van Her Natta grew up on a dairy farm in Derry, New York, so she's used to interacting with animals of all kinds and is used to being satisfied with her hard work.
Eric Van Natta grew up in Northfield and learned construction and remodeling skills while working with his father. After his college graduation, Eric worked in business with his father for several years and then worked as a volunteer for the U.S. Army at a bilingual Spanish-English school in California. “Then I lived in Vermont and worked as a contractor. Meanwhile, I hated skiing and rock climbing,” he said.
Margot and Eric are healthy and active, a trait that is evident in their children, Jacob, 10, and Harper, who turns 5 tomorrow. Life on Parmenter Road is buzzing with endeavors. “We have four of his LLCs between us,” Eric said of Margot's business, his Hiking Paws, and his three of his LLCs. He owns a small lumber business called Falltown Lumber Works, and yes, works with an “e.” We also manage rental properties for families.
The centerpiece of the Van Natta dining room is the Erik table, made from white oak. On the table is a gorgeous cherry and walnut cutting board and butternut serving board, also made by Eric. Eric gestured to his son and said, “Jacob made a beautiful cutting board, too.” In response to Jacob's request to see his handiwork, the boy responded with a kind smile and said, “I gave it to my cousins as a housewarming present.”
Jacob loves the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing, but also enjoys indoor activities. He plays the violin and studies a combination of folk, contemporary, and traditional Celtic music. He whittles, carves, and woodworks with his father. Jacob pulled out a knife and said, “I carved the handle of this drop-point paring knife.” He made the handle out of ambrosia maple and explained in a matter-of-fact tone, “Ambrosia maple is made from the droppings of ambrosia beetles.'' The family laughed and Eric added: “The beetles burrow into coniferous trees like red and silver maples, allowing fungi and other substances to enter the wood.” They result in beautiful markings.
When asked how he avoided injury when handling sharp knives, Jacob replied: “While I was using the scroll saw, I put tape on the blade. I also used a sander, a few files, and a drill press.” Eric chimed in, “That was a weekend's worth of work.”
Jacob carved boats in the shape of canoes and the main hulls of large and small sailing vessels. He also built other, more delicate-looking boats. “We built birch bark canoes with his grandmother,” Jacob said of Northfield’s grandmother. “I had to soak the birch first.” He has an impressive collection of jackknives and a nice fishing line inherited from his great-grandfather.
Jacob explained his many projects while his sister played with some of the family's zoo in the next room. Harper sings incessantly, almost incessantly, while entertaining the dogs (pup Galilee and old dog Flynn) and cats (old Guy and Trinity, a small kitten recently acquired from Margot's parents' farm). It kept moving.
Harper paints, paints, creates beadwork and many other art forms. “She also loves the play area behind the house,” she said cheerfully. “We collect eggs too!” Her family includes her eight chickens, and both of her children are responsible for collecting and other chores. Harper is responsible for watering the plants and restocking the toilet paper, and Jacob is responsible for filling the firewood boxes. While Harper shared her own artwork, she detailed what kind of cake she envisions for her birthday. “It's a unicorn cake with chocolate chips, but the cake will be vanilla.” Mom and Dad smiled, raised their eyebrows, and took notes.
The Van Natta family values space and privacy, making good use of their more than 5-acre property. They cut firewood and grow blueberry, raspberry, and apple trees on their land. In addition to chickens for eggs, we also raise pigs, meat birds, and beef cattle, so we can fill our freezers and supplement the food we get from hunting expeditions and fishing trips. They raise goats for brush control and have a garden with vegetables and flowers. Both children have their own section in the garden.
An impressive feature of their property is their new workshop, which was built despite having to demolish a mid-1800s post-and-beam barn that was beyond repair. The workshop includes an encyclopedic set of tools and a huge kiln for drying wood. Eric and Jacob led the way from his first floor to the lower floor of his workshop. There, a kiln the size of a shipping container occupied part of the room. On the way down, Jacob said, “I helped your father build these stairs.''
His interest in wood is one of Eric's favorite parts of his working life. “Using a kiln to dry wood is a nice change of pace for renovation work,” he said. “I got to meet some great people, including sawmillers, arborists, and cabinet makers.” Although specialized vacuum kilns can dry all types of wood, Eric primarily works with high-value hardwoods, slabs, and more. Use it on thick materials. “The process is quick and efficient, drying the wood from the center outwards,” Eric says, adding that the atmosphere inside the kiln is similar to the top of Mount Everest.
“Wood dried this way is less likely to twist or split,” says Eric. He primarily custom-dries wood for customers, but also does dry-dried wood for sale. He provides wood to artisans for special projects, a fact his son is proud to share. “My dad mailed the wood to a guy in Florida who made guitars,” Jacob said. Eric nodded and said, “I sent Butternut to the luthier.”
While the men are busy with their adventures, Mama is preoccupied with many other things, including running Hiking Paws, which employs three other people. “Due to the coronavirus pandemic, more people are owning dogs,” Margot says. “But now we're seeing a societal problem, which is that we don't know how dogs should behave. And the fact that so many people are suddenly getting puppies is a challenge. When it comes to packing, Margot considers variety. “A good pack has a mix of breeds, ages and genders. I don't feel like taking six or her eight puppies for a walk. There's too much confusion.”
Given everything Van Natta is doing, producing, and documenting, some might think the name of the game is chaos, and yet they're seemingly unfazed. It seems that. “We come from do-it-yourself people,” Margot explained. “In addition to Eric's father being in business, his parents are also crafty. His mother knits and quilts. His aunt is a painter.” As evidenced by the Hiking Paws logo on the van, the company has been designing signs, including painting and lettering for vehicles, for 40 years. “And my father is still actively farming, now raising beef cattle instead of dairy cows. He also transports cattle as a truck driver.”
After the interview, dinner preparations were underway. This was, not surprisingly, a nod to DIY. “Venison tacos,” Margot said. Jacob replied, “Yes!” Eric thought about perhaps he getting a second kiln. “The ability to sell sawn and processed wood will expand.” And through it all, Harper was a supernova of joy, dancing around his family's historic home.
Margot Van Natta's website: www.hiking-paws.com
Erik Van Natta's lumber and kiln services website: falltownlumberwerks.com, and remodeling website: Vannattabuilds.com.
Eveline MacDougall is the author of “Fiery Hope” and a musician, artist, and mother. eveline@amandlachorus.org.