Sarah “Sadie” Stull is full of surprises. Slight in stature and remarkably strong, Stull has homesteaded in western Massachusetts for decades, but was born in Liberia and spent her childhood in that West African country. She prefers a simple, low-tech life, yet handles power tools masterfully and has led several organizations.
Stull’s famously top-notch teaching skills mean slots are filling up fast for a 10-day “Tiny House Framing Workshop” she’ll lead on her Plainfield property from July 10 to July 20.
While studying at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Stull was the only woman in the mechanical engineering program. It dawned on her, however, that a career in that discipline was bound to park her behind a computer, so she paused her studies because she didn’t want to spend her work life sitting at a desk. She got a job with a phone company, “only because I wanted to learn how to climb those tall poles wearing spikes,” she said. “They don’t do it like that anymore.”
A few years later, as a young mom — realizing that a diploma might come in handy — Stull finished her degree. Stull’s engineering chops come in handy in her work as a carpentry contractor, but so do many other experiences, like apprenticing in Japan with a Shinto shrine builder, an adventure that deepened her love of hand tools and traditional timber framing.
“We lived in Japan when (my older son) Wynter was 2,” said Stull. “I learned so much.”
Stull, 64, takes what she learns and runs with it, but is also happy to slow down to share her skills. The nonprofit organization she started in the late 1990s, the RavenWood Freedom Farm and Learning Center, Inc., has ambitious, practical goals.
“We provide educational programs that empower the community through workshops on building, permaculture, multicultural awareness, nature, farming and the arts,” said Stull.
SARAH “SADIE” STULL / Courtesy
Past programs have included treehouse building, vegetable oil fuel system conversions, culturing raw milk and wild edible workshops. Stull emphasizes strategies that are practical, durable and deeply human and she remains continually drawn to elegant, time-honored processes.
Her formative years set her on unconventional paths. “When my parents moved to Liberia as Lutheran missionaries, they lived in a mud hut with a thatched roof,” Stull said. “By the time I came along, we lived in a house made of zinc. When it rained, the place became a sound box.”
Stull’s father was a doctor whose missionary work involved using his medical skills. Stull said she is grateful that she and her five siblings were exposed to many different perspectives while living outside the U.S.
The topic of her birthplace doesn’t generally come up in Stull’s daily life, but it did so recently when she needed to replace her Social Security card. Because her 1962 birth certificate was issued using a manual typewriter, her records do not resemble those of most Americans. Stull had to jump through several administrative hoops to update her documentation.
“It was interesting dealing with officials who looked at my birth certificate and saw Zorzor as my birthplace,” she said. “We worked through it and finally succeeded.”
Stull naturally cultivates success in herself and in others. She ran Sarah Stull Carpentry for 15 years before changing the name to Village Carpentry when sons, Wynter and Shelby Howland, joined the business. The three eventually pursued separate endeavors, and both sons continue to thrive in their respective fields. Wynter now heads ServiceNet’s building department, while Shelby started his own business, Village Earthwright. (Shelby’s work was featured in my Feb. 14 column.)
“Village Carpentry still exists,” said Stull. “It’s me.”
She tackles both large and small projects. One of her favorites was constructing a timber-framed tiny house with natural clay interior plaster in Cummington. Stull showed up to our interview wearing a shirt with “Cummington Supply” printed on the front.
“It’s the best small-town lumberyard in western Mass.,” said Stull. “You’d be surprised at what’s available, and if they don’t have something you need, they can often order it. Go in and talk to Gus. He’ll take care of you.”
Speaking of small towns, Stull noted that she and fellow Plainfield resident Serena Torrey have shared the distinction of being two female contractors in a town with 600 residents. (Torrey was featured in my May 16 column.)
For years, Stull led construction skills workshops specifically for women, but these days, she welcomes everyone — partly because gender issues “have gotten complicated. Everybody is welcome as long as they agree to treat everyone with respect. We foster a culture of inclusion.”
Stull ponders the fact that women strove for and achieved hard-won rights over time that are “now seemingly affected by gender fluidity. That’s a whole other dynamic,” she said, “and a bigger topic.”
As with everything she does, Stull focuses on the positive and moves forward with grace. The upcoming tiny house workshop is open to all levels of construction experience, “including no experience!” Stull said. Complete details and registration are available at ravenwoodfarm.org.
Throughout the workshop, Stull emphasizes safety while encouraging participants to mindfully test their limits. “We’ll put up walls, close in the building, and construct the roof,” said Stull, “but not finish work, insulation, plumbing, or drywall.”
Stull recently offered tiny house workshops at a North Carolina outfit called Wild Abundance. “I thought about applying to join their staff,” she said, “but it would mean too much time away from my 5-year-old grandson, which is out of the question.”
Stull served as director of Western Mass Women in the Trades during the 1980s, and she also worked with Habitat for Humanity and Weekend Women Build. She’s also been a part of Self-Help Housing through the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Valley Community Development Corporation. She coordinated and led the building of groups of homes in Belchertown, Southampton, Chesterfield and other regional locales.
With decades of specialized experience under her tool belt, Stull is ready to help a new cohort of 12 participants acquire and sharpen their carpentry skills. Scheduled for Oct. 9 to Oct. 19, this upcoming session marks another iteration of her signature Tiny House Framing Workshop. Perhaps you’ll be one of them!
Eveline MacDougall is a Greenfield-based writer, musician, teacher and mom who has presented concerts and workshops in prisons and jails for 40 years. To reach her, email eveline@amandlachorus.org.