However, Ken explains that during the earliest years of the colonial period—the first few decades of the 1600s—buildings were constructed in a very slipshod manner, with wood touching the ground. They were meant to be temporary, because the earliest settlers hadn’t planned to “settle” at all–they were here in the New World to make a quick fortune and go home. So they built shoddy buildings that quickly rotted.

That type of construction didn't end for a few hundred year, although nails became readily available. My Dad and his older brother arrived in Wyoming in 1908 (Yes, I'm old and he was in his 50's when I was born) to build mine houses for a railroad coal mine. He said they (the two of them) were building two houses a week with hand tools and none were still standing. I do think that back then a 40 hour week ended with lunch on Wednesday, then you went back to work. He was never real proud of his start in the construction business, but it was a start.

Or you could mention it and state it is a legend and may or may not be true.

ron

Thanks to all, things went well. I opted for the term 'legend' when talking of the burning-house-nail thing. It does illustrate the scarcity of materials well and is a nice segway into either other pioneer 'smith trades or recycling.