Save America's Windows

Hello,

I live in a log home, built in 1918 by a railroad engineer, in Anchorage. Two windows in the kitchen (previously a porch) were missing muntin ribs, and had a fair amount of deterioration and so I decided to remove them, strip them, and repair them. Both used to open, and one was a hopper style window with hinges on the bottom. The other did not have hinges. At some point both were calked into place.

I understand how the hopper window works. However the companion window is a little different (interior photo, window on the left), and I can't identify the style or figure out how it is supposed to open. There is no evidence of hardware on the window, and on both sides of the window there is a large keyhole style cutout. However, there is no evidence in the house framing of how the hole is supposed to function. Photos are below. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

Windows shortly before we removed them. Window in question on left.

Window, exterior.

Window in the shop.

Window, keyhole cutout—one on each side.

Jesica, welcome to the Forum! Nice looking work on that sash. Good photos.

The "keyhole" you see on the edge of the stile is the standard "plough" and "knot hole" made for the sash cord when the sash is to be counter-balanced with weights in a "double hung" window.

Since this sash has no hinges, it appears that it was intended to be a fixed sash and not open. In this case the plough and knot hole have no function.

If you want the sash to open you could add hinges and a catch.

Thank you—that's super helpful.