Eagle Scouts Invade The Castle

The boy scouts invaded Bacon's Castle in Surry to assist the Grounds and Restoration Departments in upkeep of the Historic Landmark. Despite the very inclement weather, the scouts were able to raise the bricks outlining the foundation of the Gardeners Outbuilding back up to grade level. They did this by removing the bricks, filling and tamping stone dust beneath them, then resetting them. This will greatly assist the Grounds Dept in manicuring the lawn in this area. The scouts also were able to do the prep work for repainting the Slave's Quarters by scraping the old, loose, siding paint from the building. Unfortunately, the rain prevented the scouts from repainting the Slave Quarters or the barnyard fence. These are projects that they may pick up at a later date in more favorable conditions. The Restoration Dept had two men repairing the fences March 13th, in preparation for the scouts paint job.

Now You See It, Now You Don't

The restoration Dept traveled to Charlotte Court House to the Tucker Brothers Store, circa 1830, on March 18th and 19th to remove a non-period wood stove flue. The flue was suspended from the second floor joists, placing them under stresses they weren't designed for. The chimney roof flashing had also failed. After the chimney was removed, the penetration hole was patched to prevent any further moisture problems. It took a 2 man crew working a 24 hour period to complete the work.

Snow at Historic Jamestowne

We received 2" to 3" of snow on the island today. The dig site is covered in snow, but only four short weeks from now we will be back in the field to continue the excavations.