tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52903868975887651992024-03-14T02:36:11.186-04:00Preservation Virginia's BlogConnecting people and resources to ensure the continued vitality of Virginia's historic places.Alexishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15101796304288198995noreply@blogger.comBlogger204125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-39536152940139493532017-08-28T09:41:00.001-04:002017-08-28T10:39:10.443-04:00<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b>Preservation Pitch Spotlight: Jobie Hill’s Slave House Database Project</b></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xDH7FKDEBg8/WaQeZFPJvVI/AAAAAAAAAF8/7W7HPpqctjQcnxrK7FHpcy30vI6hiUcTQCEwYBhgL/s1600/RIC2015%2Bpitch%2Bwinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xDH7FKDEBg8/WaQeZFPJvVI/AAAAAAAAAF8/7W7HPpqctjQcnxrK7FHpcy30vI6hiUcTQCEwYBhgL/s320/RIC2015%2Bpitch%2Bwinner.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Left to right) Leighton Powell, Scenic Virginia; Jobie Hill and Preservation Virginia CEO Elizabeth Kostelny</td></tr>
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Slave dwellings exist throughout
Virginia that tell stories of a difficult time in history that should never be
forgotten. Our 2015 <a href="https://preservationvirginia.org/programs/preservation-pitch" target="_blank">Preservation Pitch</a> winner, Jobie Hill, has been doing great
work with her <a href="http://www.savingslavehouses.org/" target="_blank">Slave House Database Project</a> to document and interpret these
spaces.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Hill, a historic preservation
architect, started her independent project in 2012 to, “ensure that slave
houses, irreplaceable pieces of history, are not lost forever.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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The database serves as a
repository for information and data pertinent to all the known slave houses in
the United States. At the time of her Preservation Pitch win, she had gathered
more than 26,000 images and ex-slave narratives related to slave houses. In
describing the Slave House Database, Hill says:<o:p></o:p><br />
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<i>The documentation [of slave houses] is the
visual representation of the spaces; and the interpretations are descriptions
of the spaces from the actual inhabitants who lived and worked there during
slavery. The narratives recorded from former slaves breathe life into the
two-dimensional drawings and photographs of slave houses.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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After having surveyed slave
dwellings in various other states, Hill set her focus on documenting slave
dwellings in Virginia for her Preservation Pitch project. She aimed to locate
and resurvey at least 30 slave houses documented by the Historic American
Buildings Survey program. Her goal was to identify which houses still exist,
document the current conditions of the structures and record architectural
information missing from the original survey. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Hill ended up surveying 37 slave
houses in Virginia with the help of the $2,000 grant she received from her
Preservation Pitch win. In total, she has surveyed 117 dwellings in Virginia
over the past four years, with some located in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/preservationvirginia/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10155346443440067">Campbell</a>
and Pittsylvania Counties. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Overall, she believes that the
relationship between the historical record of slave houses and stories of the
inhabitants are crucial to the understanding and interpretation of the lives
and settings of enslaved people. She states that through this relationship,
“the plantation landscape is revealed not through the eyes of the master but
through the perspective of those who were in his charge.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>The deadline for entering this year’s Preservation Pitch competition
has been extended to Friday, September 8. If you have a historic preservation
project that you would like to pitch, visit </i><a href="http://bit.ly/2v4nwzI"><i>Eventbrite</i></a><i> for submission details and to register. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-31536387966903034802017-07-18T12:51:00.000-04:002017-07-18T13:10:55.884-04:00<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Louisa County
Historical Society Intersecting Historic Preservation with Technology <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Each year, we provide an opportunity for community members
statewide to compete for $2,000 in seed money for a historic preservation
project through our <a href="https://preservationvirginia.org/programs/annual-conference">Preservation
Pitch</a> program. Three finalists are chosen to present their pitches during a
reception at our annual <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2017-virginia-preservation-conference-explore-the-value-of-partnerships-registration-35981053299">Virginia
Preservation Conference</a>. The winners are selected by the audience. Last
year, we welcomed <a href="http://louisacountyhistoricalsociety.org/default.htm">Louisa
County Historical Society</a> into the winner’s circle for their project to
document African American and slave-related burial grounds throughout the
state. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Inspired by the inclusion of African American cemeteries on
our <a href="https://preservationvirginia.org/images/programs/virginias_most_endangered_historic_places_web.pdf">2016
Most Endangered Historic Places</a> list, Louisa County Historical Society
stated that they, “wanted to be a part of the effort to record and help
preserve these sacred sites.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Their project is two-fold, consisting of technology and community
components. For the technology component, they have developed an easy-to-use
application with <a href="https://www.arcgis.com/home/index.html">ArcGIS</a> –
a platform that enables developers to build custom web and mobile applications
that incorporate maps and data. The app utilizes a <a href="http://lch.maps.arcgis.com/apps/GeoForm/index.html?appid=0f57029206aa4f0fa803b75cc24b17dd">GeoForm</a> template that allows the locations of burials to be automatically captured
while recording data about individual sites and uploading photos. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The advantage of using the GeoForm template is that is can
be shared and replicated across the state. After users record data collected in
Louisa County about African American burial sites, it is immediately made
available online. This data can then be joined, layered and analyzed with any
other GIS data (such as the data maintained by the <a href="http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/">Virginia Department of Historic Resources</a>)
thanks to the <a href="http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcgisonline/arcgis-open-data">ArcGIS
Open Data</a> solution. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The community component involves cultivating local support
through four training events in Louisa County that will help people learn how
to use the app. These events will also serve the purpose of educating the
public about the importance of identifying and preserving African American
burial sites as well as the applicable sections of the Code of Virginia that
help protect them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Ultimately, Louisa County Historical Society hopes that their
project will provide a platform for older generations to share their knowledge
with younger generations and that both can record burial sites that honor the
past together. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“We believe engaging people across the Commonwealth in this
effort will stir curiosity to learn about all members of our historic
communities. Curiosity leads to investigation, which can change our
understanding of history,” said Elaine Taylor, Executive Director, Louisa County Historical Society, during her presentation.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Louisa County Historical Society’s Preservation Pitch
submission is an excellent blueprint for the types of historic preservation
projects that should be receiving support on local and state levels. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Is there a historic
preservation project that could use $2,000 in seed money in your community? If
so, submissions for the 2017 Preservation Pitch program are due no later than
August 25. Visit </i><a href="http://bit.ly/2v4nwzI"><i>Eventbrite</i></a><i> to register
and learn how you can submit your pitch. Good luck!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-60111995099827110022017-06-30T13:30:00.000-04:002017-06-30T13:49:29.279-04:00<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Quoits, Anyone? The History of an American Pastime </b><br />
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Next week, the country will commemorate the adoption of the
Declaration of Independence in 1776. 241 years ago, the original thirteen
American colonies declared themselves a new nation – the United States of
America. Whether it be political ceremonies or barbecues and parades, there are
many ways we honor the history and traditions of our nation.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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As many of us pull out cornhole, horseshoes or the croquette
set this weekend, let’s dive into the history of the game of quoits, an
extremely popular game during the founding of our nation. In our opinion, we’d
like to see it overtake cornhole to once again be a favorite BBQ pastime! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Quoits has origins in ancient Greece and was picked up by
the Roman conquerors and spread throughout Europe. According to the <a href="http://www.usqa.org/" target="_blank">United States Quoiting Association</a>, quoits
originally came to America in the 1700s with the early settlers from England.
The game consists of throwing a metal ring towards a spike to either land on or
near it. It was considered a more sophisticated lawn game in comparison to
horseshoes, which was played by commoners. <o:p></o:p></div>
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John Marshall, fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of
the United States, was a renowned quoits player in Richmond. Playing quoits
during Court Days was a popular pastime in Virginia, which may be how he became
such an excellent player<sup>1</sup>. <a href="https://preservationvirginia.org/visit/historic-properties/the-john-marshall-house" target="_blank">The John Marshall House</a> has a set of quoits that are a reproduction of the
original set Marshall would have possessed. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Marshall was a member of the Buchanan Spring Quoits Club
(also known as the Richmond or Fairfield Sociable Club), which consisted of 30
elected members, including the city’s leading merchants, politicians and
professional men<sup>2</sup>. The group met every Saturday afternoon from May
to November at Reverend John Buchanan’s farm and the men were no strangers to having a
good time. They feasted on barbecued pig and drank punch and juleps. Talking
about politics was strictly prohibited at these gatherings. Rule breakers were
punished by Marshall with a hefty fine – alcohol. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://www.historicrichmond.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.historicrichmond.com/" target="_blank">Historic Richmond Foundation</a> has revived this historic pastime,
with the <a href="https://www.historicrichmond.com/get-involved/events/quoit-club/" target="_blank">Quoit Club</a>. Membership includes social gatherings and an all-access pass to
Richmond’s history through members-only tours inside of the city’s most
interesting buildings and locations. <o:p></o:p></div>
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At the John Marshall House, you can play a game of quoits in the garden when you
come for a visit! There is a pit set up outside and the house has a modern
quoits set for you to throw. The John Marshall House is open Friday, Saturday
and Sunday, March through December.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Preservation Virginia wishes you a happy and healthy
Independence Day weekend!<br />
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<span style="font-size: 9.0pt;">1. </span><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;"><a href="https://bjws.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-game-of-quoits-travels-from-gardens.html">https://bjws.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-game-of-quoits-travels-from-gardens.html</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 9pt;">2. </span><span style="font-size: 9.0pt;"><a href="http://www.lva.virginia.gov/exhibits/marshall/">http://www.lva.virginia.gov/exhibits/marshall/</a></span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-21318210619993177462017-06-10T10:00:00.000-04:002017-06-10T11:24:26.962-04:00<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Richmond Justice
Exhibit Opens in Newly Restored John Marshall House Justice Gallery <br />
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</b>The <a href="http://richmondjustice.org/">Richmond Justice</a> exhibit is officially open for public viewing in the newly
restored John Marshall House Justice Gallery. The exhibit will run through the month of September.<br />
<br />
Richmond Justice started in 2016 as a year-long project produced by <a href="https://www.fieldstudiofilms.com/">Field Studio</a> to share portraits
and stories of Richmonders whose lives have been shaped in some way by the
justice system. <br />
<br />
The project grew from years of co-directors, Hannah Ayers and Lance Warren
making media about incarceration. The duo’s experience led them to discover
that the number of people touched by the justice system is greater than what
people tend to imagine and the stories of those affected by the justice system
are profound and must be told. <br />
<br />
Check out our Q&A with Hannah and Lance: </div>
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<b>Can you discuss the importance of
providing a platform for those affected by the justice system to tell their
stories? </b><br />
<br />
<b>
Lance</b>: The justice system is hard to see. If you're not inside of it—and
often, even if you are—the reasons why people are jailed or freed, prosecuted
or merely warned, tend to be shrouded in legal jargon and bureaucracy. Not
only that, the very nature of arrest and incarceration separates those charged,
and those doing the charging, from the rest of the community. And yet,
this hard-to-see system makes decisions that transform our community, one life
at a time, and often not for the better. <br />
<br />
We believe that a sensible, fair
justice system could serve Richmond as it should. But first, we need to
understand the people in our justice system in their own words. We
couldn't find a platform that enabled Richmonders whose lives are shaped by the
justice system to share their wildly varying experiences and perspectives, and
so, we decided to create one.<br />
<br />
<b>What were some common experiences that
you all discovered that Richmonders face when it comes to interacting with the
justice system? <br />
<br />
</b>Hannah: One thing that’s easy to forget is that in many cases, families
interacting with the justice system are doing so for the first time. And
unless you’re a lawyer or an advocate, you’re thrust into a system that’s
immensely complicated and requires a steep learning curve. So it’s not
uncommon for Richmonders to feel completely lost, or worse, neglected as they
navigate hearings and trials.<br />
<br />
We also discovered that a lot of community
members are interacting with the justice system because they struggle with a
substance use disorder. They need treatment, but due to the way that our
laws and institutions are set up, many of them end up in jail. Some get
treatment there, but treatment through jail is a counterintuitive way to address
treatment for a disease.</div>
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<b>Which organizations are spearheading
reform efforts within Richmond’s justice system and where has progress been
made? <br />
<br />
Hannah</b>: This was the most heartening thing we found as part of this
project: Richmond is fortunate to have progressive people who are deeply
committed to broadening access to justice and seeking reform. The Legal
Aid Justice Center has done tremendous work on a number of fronts, especially
when it comes to juvenile justice and the school-to-prison pipeline.<br />
<br />
There
is good work being done as part of the REAL Program at the Richmond City
Justice Center. The REAL Program works to address addictive behavior
through classes and workshops, and we’ve met graduates whose lives were
transformed because they finally learned about their addiction and what to do
about it. Some of the change is coming from the state policy level;
Governor McAuliffe signed a bill last month to reform the Virginia Board of
Corrections, strengthening their oversight of jails and tasking them with
investigating the deaths that occur with frightening frequency. <br />
<br />
There are also
promising partnerships among foundations, nonprofits, arts groups, and legal
organizations working to address problems from multiple angles. All of
these changes are positive, but it’s hard to feel hopeful when some of the
problems are so vast: the poverty that drives people to desperate situations
and desperate decisions; the opioids and guns that are too readily available;
the laws that criminalize drug use, homelessness, and mental illness; the
corrections facilities that do little to rehabilitate. There’s an
overwhelming amount to do, but we’re grateful for the folks who are committing
their time and expertise to move Richmond in a positive direction.</div>
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<b>Can you all describe the significance of
featuring the exhibit at the John Marshall House? <br />
<br />
Lance</b>: John Marshall was a child of the American Revolution, schooled and
shaped by the struggle's many strategies to secure self-government rooted
in the will of a united people. This very unity, this common sense
pursuit of common purpose—this is one key force we found often missing in the
way justice is measured in Richmond. "We're arresting the wrong
people," the Sheriff told us. "You could do 12 months in jail on a
littering charge," noted a public defender, explaining that homelessness
itself has been criminalized and locks those without shelter into a destructive
cycle of incarceration and vulnerability. <br />
<br />
The Commonwealth's Attorney for
Richmond told us that he wouldn't want his post in "any other jurisdiction
in the state," because voters here "are at least willing to entertain
non-traditional approaches to criminal justice." But too often, he
told us, his office and other reformers haven't been enabled to bring good
ideas to scale. The result is injustice done to those convicted as well
as to the welfare and public safety of the city: "Most of the people we’ve
convicted for felonies, we will see again—not because they’re inherently bad,
as we've told ourselves, but because of the consequences of the felony in terms
of difficulties in securing stable housing, employment, and recovery. Forgotten
felons come back again and again." <br />
<br />
John Marshall understood the need
for fairness and logic in the prosecution of law. It's impossible to know
what he would've thought of today's challenges to justice in Richmond. But his example makes clear to us that the place where we can begin to study
his legacy today is exactly the place to consider how to do justice to those in
Richmond in a way that treats them as they are—our neighbors, our fellow
Americans, sometimes our family members, and hopefully our friends.</div>
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<b>What’s next for the Richmond Justice
project? <br />
<br />
Lance</b>: Through exhibits like the one we're fortunate for the chance to
launch at the John Marshall House, we hope to give more Richmonders the chance
to hear the voices that so captured us over the last year. We started
with a family-and-friends mailing list of 129 people and grew the project to an
audience of more than 20,000 by the end of 2016. We were active
in-person, too, hosting in October the only mayoral debate focused squarely on
the justice system, and then convening hundreds more at UR Downtown during the
inaugural First Fridays gallery opening this year. We pledge to keep the
site accessible indefinitely, so that an unlimited number of people may read
and learn from these stories. And we look forward to welcoming attorneys,
visitors, and supporters of all sorts to the John Marshall House in the coming
months.</div>
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<i>Visit <a href="http://www.richmondjustice.org/">www.richmondjustice.org</a> to learn more about the project and like the Richmond Justice <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MeetRichmondJustice">Facebook</a> page to keep
up with their latest updates. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-20922786186988359802015-08-21T14:56:00.000-04:002015-08-21T14:56:01.185-04:002015 Most Endangered Historic Places: Gibson Cottage<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6BtxXqvn6vs/VddwsLswHMI/AAAAAAAABAA/_gOHFS7QPjU/s1600/gibson_cottage_back_with_roof_damage_march_2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6BtxXqvn6vs/VddwsLswHMI/AAAAAAAABAA/_gOHFS7QPjU/s400/gibson_cottage_back_with_roof_damage_march_2015.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Roof damage, Gibson Cottage, March 2015. Photo
courtesy of Preservation Bath.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gibson
Cottage - Warm Springs, Virginia<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Significance</b>: Built around 1840 and used as
the Warm Springs Hotel manager’s residence, the Gibson Cottage is one of the
last remaining original buildings from the hotel’s important mid‐19th
century expansion that transformed the county seat of Bath Court House into a
welcoming stop on the Virginia springs summer circuit. The cottage survived the
razing of the hotel in 1925 and served as a residence for the next sixty‐seven
years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Threat</b>: The current owner, Natural Retreats,
purchased it in 2013 and has expressed interest in renovating it. The structure
is currently open to the elements and deteriorating and is now listed for
possible demolition by the County in 2015. Bath County residents have expressed
concern about its possible loss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Solution</b>: Natural Retreats has stated its
intent to save the Cottage. We urge that the owner take action now to protect
the site from further deterioration or transfer ownership to another entity
that will utilize the building. The cottage, if saved and restored, could play
an integral role in telling the history of the Warm Springs Pools.</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xxeBuErfnnA/VddxlUwM8hI/AAAAAAAABAI/GozDHWMXqmY/s1600/KL8A5164.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xxeBuErfnnA/VddxlUwM8hI/AAAAAAAABAI/GozDHWMXqmY/s400/KL8A5164.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Elizabeth
Kostelny, Preservation Virginia, announcing the listing in May 2015 with an
overgrown Gibson Cottage in the background. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Update</b>:
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>Following the May 2015 Most Endangered
Historic Sites listing on-site announcement, in mid-June, two volunteers spent four
days removing invasive vegetation, cutting down the dead tree that
was leaning against the cottage, cutting the grass, and generally clearing the
overgrown landscape around the cottage. Following
up on their restatement to take steps to stabilize the structure, Natural
Retreats just recently engaged John Airgood, of Alexander Nicholson, to begin step
one of stabilizing the Gibson Cottage. This will involve removal of the
front porch and the entire rear addition and the installation of a temporary
roof. Prior to removal, there are plans
to measure and salvage the architectural features that are deemed significant,
like the front porch posts. Work is
scheduled to begin the last week in August.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-49vZD2nMlLk/VddzDD1MJsI/AAAAAAAABAQ/JVx7rOiyrNw/s1600/Gibson%2BCottage%2BFront%2BMarch%2B2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-49vZD2nMlLk/VddzDD1MJsI/AAAAAAAABAQ/JVx7rOiyrNw/s320/Gibson%2BCottage%2BFront%2BMarch%2B2015.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Gibson Cottage, March 2015. Photo courtesy of
Preservation Bath.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-htlWcr4xY1I/VddzOXTCs2I/AAAAAAAABAY/CBZBkNPEcDE/s1600/GibsonCottageJune2015%2Bveg%2Bcleared.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-htlWcr4xY1I/VddzOXTCs2I/AAAAAAAABAY/CBZBkNPEcDE/s320/GibsonCottageJune2015%2Bveg%2Bcleared.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Gibson
Cottage, June 2015, following clearing of vegetation by volunteers. Photo courtesy of Preservation Bath. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Links</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.thevirginianreview.com/main.asp?ArticleID=41563&SectionID=3&SubSectionID=51">http://www.thevirginianreview.com/main.asp?ArticleID=41563&SectionID=3&SubSectionID=51</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.alleghenymountainradio.org/bath-countys-gibson-cottage-placed-on-endangered-historic-sites-list/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.alleghenymountainradio.org/bath-countys-gibson-cottage-placed-on-endangered-historic-sites-list/</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.thevirginianreview.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=40684&SectionID=3&SubSectionID=51&S=1"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.thevirginianreview.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=40684&SectionID=3&SubSectionID=51&S=1</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Contact</b>:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://t.sidekickopen17.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nMJN7t5XYgcW12KN8q-g0TdnBh0W5v0wKg56dGWKf6301Qv02?t=http%3a%2f%2fpreservationbath.org&si=6009479670267904&pi=27522123-dd5e-4e23-a296-cd81e959b268" target="_blank">preservationbath.org</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/FriendsoftheWarmSpringsPools" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/FriendsoftheWarmSpringsPools</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Philip
Deemer with Preservation Bath at: <a href="mailto:friendsofthepools@gmail.com">friendsofthepools@gmail.com</a></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-59505600214634686492015-08-13T11:08:00.002-04:002015-08-13T11:08:53.612-04:002015 Most Endangered Historic Places: Town of Port Royal<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uYrddUDQNo0/VcyxAFC9PAI/AAAAAAAAA-c/hA29502UWb4/s1600/IMG_2822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uYrddUDQNo0/VcyxAFC9PAI/AAAAAAAAA-c/hA29502UWb4/s320/IMG_2822.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Peyton-Brockenbrough House</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The Town of Port Royal -
Port Royal, Virginia</b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Significance</b>:
Port Royal, chartered in 1744, is a small town on the Rappahannock River in
Caroline County. First inhabited by the Algonquian, it was established
primarily as a port for the exportation of tobacco. Port Royal retains over
thirty‐five 18th and early 19th century
structures, which reflect the critical role it played in the American
Revolution and the Civil War. After assassinating President Lincoln, John
Wilkes Booth visited the Brockenbrough‐Peyton
House and was later shot and killed south of town at the Garrett Farm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Threat</b>:
As another example of one of Virginia’s “bypassed towns,” Port Royal has become
increasingly isolated as a result of changing transportation patterns. Several
of the oldest structures are currently unoccupied and in need of stabilization,
especially the 1854 Lyceum and Town Hall building. Deterioration will continue
if a solution is not found.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Solution</b>:
Port Royal is creating a strong foundation for heritage tourism. Historic Port
Royal, Inc. is actively involved in repair projects including the Colonial
Doctor’s Office. Port Royal is committed to revitalizing their town and
currently enjoys three museums (with a fourth on the way), self‐guided walking tours with
established historical markers, a restored Rosenwald School and the rebuilt
historic pier. We encourage the Town and Caroline County to provide greater
visibility with additional directional signage and other incentives that could
help promote Port Royal as an enticing place to visit and live.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QFTSKNbY_ME/Vcyx-sqVg4I/AAAAAAAAA-o/05q1HIlJ6r8/s1600/DAWNTHEA%2BPRICE%2BTHE%2BFREE%2BLANCE%2BSTAR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QFTSKNbY_ME/Vcyx-sqVg4I/AAAAAAAAA-o/05q1HIlJ6r8/s320/DAWNTHEA%2BPRICE%2BTHE%2BFREE%2BLANCE%2BSTAR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Friends
of the Rappahannock installed a new 100-foot-long pier and a soft launch for
kayaks and canoes in Caroline.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Photo: Dawnthea
Price for The Free Lance Star</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Update (8/13/15)</b>: <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>Just a couple weeks before the listing debuted, the Town of
Port Royal and Historic Port Royal, Inc. held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the
grand opening of the new Port Royal Museum of Medicine. The museum boasts
artifacts that tell the history of the town, and the former consultation room
showcases the historic tools of the trade. Additionally, the historic Port
Royal Landing recently received a new pier, a soft launch for canoes and
kayaks, and a living shoreline. The pier, launch, and shoreline were all
installed by Friends of the Rappahannock. The pier and its revived wetlands setting
offer new recreational activities that should help draw more visitors to the
town and increase interest in its revitalization. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T5U8d0IIQ1I/VcyySmcHHfI/AAAAAAAAA-w/4sjuyXIq5mw/s1600/PortRoyalMuseumofMedicine%2BHistPortRoyal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T5U8d0IIQ1I/VcyySmcHHfI/AAAAAAAAA-w/4sjuyXIq5mw/s320/PortRoyalMuseumofMedicine%2BHistPortRoyal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Port
Royal Museum of Medicine<br />Photo: Historic Port Royal</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Selected Links</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/local/port-royal-among-state-s-most-endangered-historic-places-preservation/article_1c3f3803-e8b6-5e1d-8361-830cc2fcdb04.html" target="_blank">http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/local/port-royal-among-state-s-most-endan<br />
gered-historic-places-preservation/article_1c3f3803-e8b6-5e1d-8361-830cc2fcd<br />
b04.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.fredericksburg.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-preserving-port-royal-town-has-a-chance-after-being/article_123dd44a-6387-5c3a-a757-af281a5e1b60.html" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">http://www.fredericksburg.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-preserving-port-r</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.fredericksburg.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-preserving-port-royal-town-has-a-chance-after-being/article_123dd44a-6387-5c3a-a757-af281a5e1b60.html" target="_blank">
oyal-town-has-a-chance-after-being/article_123dd44a-6387-5c3a-a757-af281a5e1<br />
b60.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.carolineprogress.com/port-royal-named-one-of-the-seven-most-endangered-sites-in-virginia/" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.carolineprogress.com/port-royal-named-one-of-the-seven-most-endangered-sites-in-virginia/</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://wamu.org/programs/metro_connection/15/07/03/endangered_port_royal_va_fights_to_keep_itself_from_historys_dustbin">http://wamu.org/programs/metro_connection/15/07/03/endangered_port_royal_va_fights_to_keep_itself_from_historys_dustbin</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/local/caroline/port-royal-opens-fishing-pier-boat-launch/article_8aedc4c6-a9c1-5e6b-8572-23d6b40975dd.html" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/local/caroline/port-royal-opens-fishing-pier-boat-launch/article_8aedc4c6-a9c1-5e6b-8572-23d6b40975dd.html</a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Contact</b>: </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">Carolyn Davis at </span><a href="mailto:cookiejfd@gmail.com" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">cookiejfd@gmail.com</a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-63882792887405612772015-07-30T17:11:00.003-04:002015-07-30T17:11:43.125-04:002015 Most Endangered Historic Places: Jamestown Road Houses, Williamsburg<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YdxWoF7IMfM/VbqQKvkGofI/AAAAAAAAA5k/IpokIzGg5eQ/s1600/404%2BStudent%2BAssembly.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YdxWoF7IMfM/VbqQKvkGofI/AAAAAAAAA5k/IpokIzGg5eQ/s320/404%2BStudent%2BAssembly.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Student
Assembly Building, 404 Jamestown Road</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jamestown Road Houses - Williamsburg,
Virginia<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Significance</b>:
Jamestown Road is a historic and scenic route into Williamsburg, linking Duke
of Gloucester Street with both Jamestown and historic Route 5. It and Richmond
Road divide at the west end of Duke of Gloucester Street, as planned by Francis
Nicholson in 1699 and delineated on the Frenchman’s Map of 1782. The Jamestown
Road houses were built in the early 20th century, before the restoration of
Colonial Williamsburg. The neighborhood is illustrative of Williamsburg’s
continued life between the Revolution and the world‐famous restoration of the
18th‐century town. It provides a sense of scale and character between the large
institutional buildings on campus and the smaller‐scaled neighborhoods it
adjoins. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Threat</b>:
Owned by the Commonwealth (the College of William and Mary), the houses are not
subject to City of Williamsburg zoning or architectural review regulations. The
threat is imminent; of the twelve houses, two have already been demolished.
Another nine or ten are proposed for demolition in the College Master Plan, as
approved by the College’s Board of Visitors in February 2015. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Solution</b>:
The College is encouraged to continue its long history of working with the
City. Though not legally obligated to do so, we urge the College to consider
local guidelines and to utilize the existing structures in any number of ways,
including maintaining them as offices or as residences. State and national
historic register designations would also help underscore the significance of
the individual buildings and streetscape.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tMqsFJbYmM8/VbqSU3OIy5I/AAAAAAAAA58/lLwa5rDD6yI/s1600/402%2BCorner%2BHouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tMqsFJbYmM8/VbqSU3OIy5I/AAAAAAAAA58/lLwa5rDD6yI/s320/402%2BCorner%2BHouse.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The
Corner House, 402 Jamestown Road</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><b>Update (7/30/15)</b>: In April
2015, a month before the listing debuted, local residents representing both the
Pollard Park and Chandler Court neighborhoods met with officials from the
College of William and Mary to discuss the future of the Jamestown Road houses with
regard to the Campus Master Plan.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Since
the listing, the neighborhoods have continued to meet and have corresponded
back and forth by letter with representatives from the College.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">To date, the historic neighborhoods’ concerns
with the College Master Plan have been acknowledged but not decisively acted
upon.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">The neighborhoods have asked the
College to consider a moratorium on any future demolition of the wood-frame
houses along Jamestown Road but no commitments have been made.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">In the near term, the College faces the
challenge of finding suitable tenants for other properties it owns in the area,
like the Blank House located on Chandler Court.</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MnTVgM6OIac/VbqRRflttmI/AAAAAAAAA5w/ImGZiTJmmTA/s1600/218%2BHoke%2BHouse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MnTVgM6OIac/VbqRRflttmI/AAAAAAAAA5w/ImGZiTJmmTA/s320/218%2BHoke%2BHouse.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The
Hoke House, 218 Jamestown Road</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><br /></b></div>
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<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">Selected Links</b><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://preservationvirginia.org/docs/Op-Ed_-_I_Looked_Around_and_It_Was_Gone.pdf">June 27,2015 piece by John Alewynse in the Virginia Gazette</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://wydaily.com/2015/06/03/local-news-wm-plan-to-demolish-century-old-houses-concerns-locals-preservationists/">http://wydaily.com/2015/06/03/local-news-wm-plan-to-demolish-century-old-houses-concerns-locals-preservationists/</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.dailypress.com/features/history/dp-nws-endangered-williamsburg-houses-20150518-story.html" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.dailypress.com/features/history/dp-nws-endangered-williamsburg-houses-20150518-story.html</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Contact</b>: For more information about local efforts, please contact Susan L. Buck at <a href="mailto:slbuck1@juno.com">slbuck1@juno.com</a> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-1758554729910604222015-07-15T12:07:00.001-04:002015-07-15T12:07:15.122-04:002015 Most Endangered Historic Places: Historic Courthouses and Courthouse Squares<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fJA28vOIrEs/VaZ920Uet1I/AAAAAAAAA3w/uipqQ3A-tis/s400/IMG_5166.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">N Augusta Street in Staunton, with the Augusta County Courthouse<br />visible at right, in front of Barristers Row.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Historic Courthouses and Courthouse Squares - Statewide</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Significance</b>: An
integral part of many historic downtowns, Virginia’s historic courthouses and
courthouse squares have served as community centers for centuries. Not only do
these structures represent the judicial system and the important cases along
with the individuals throughout our nation’s history, courthouses were often
the place for important announcements, auctions, marketplaces, weddings and
even duels. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Threat</b>: As courts continue to require increased space and
security, preservation debates surrounding Virginia’s historic courthouses will
continue. Approaches to preserve these structures have varied across the
Commonwealth. Some communities have found innovative ways to preserve
historical integrity while also integrating necessary upgrades. Others have
built additions that overwhelm the historic complexes. Others still have
completely relocated courthouse functions, jeopardizing the sustainability of
the original complex and downtown location.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For example, the Augusta County Courthouse (1901) is threatened
with abandonment by the County government. Augusta County wishes to build a new
court system away from the traditional city center of downtown Staunton, which
will remove employees and potentially other related businesses, weakening
Staunton’s successful downtown economy. In Northampton County, a lack of
funding and the threat of demolition by neglect of the two historic jails (1899
and 1914) may undermine the value of the historic courthouse square.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--eizCPa3p5M/VaaBZ5c1pWI/AAAAAAAAA38/fSZbBAt41sU/s1600/image2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--eizCPa3p5M/VaaBZ5c1pWI/AAAAAAAAA38/fSZbBAt41sU/s320/image2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Rebecca Larys and Nan Bennett announce the thematic listing
in Eastville on</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">May 18, 2015 at the Northampton County courthouse
precinct. </span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Solution</b>: Preserving historic courthouses and accommodating
modern court needs requires a strategic balancing act. The integrity of
historic courthouses and courthouse squares can be maintained to help support
downtown economies. We recommend a comprehensive survey of historic
courthouses. This will help identify model approaches that are transparent and
include public input to ensure that the community’s values and economic impact
are reflected.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the case of the Augusta County Courthouse, City and
County governments have been negotiating an agreement of mutual support. One
potential solution is for the County and City to pursue consolidation of the
courts now
serving the two jurisdictions. This solution, which may require
legislative approval, has potential to save funding and increase efficiency while
continuing court functions in downtown Staunton. Building upon the
feasibility study that recommended the re-use of the structure, with incentives
and utilization of the historic tax credit process, a universally-accessible
court system can be developed that will serve the county well. If needed,
additional room for court offices, court rooms and other functions is readily
available in adjacent historic and modern buildings.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In Northampton County, the earlier re-use of the
1731 courthouse is a model for how the retention of courthouse-related
structures maintains the thread of history in a community. We encourage both
approaches.</span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ORrGB2sybho/VaaB0FP9HsI/AAAAAAAAA4E/n0uzSWoYAE0/s1600/Strassler%2BStaunton%2BRRSmithCenter%2Bre%2Bcourthouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ORrGB2sybho/VaaB0FP9HsI/AAAAAAAAA4E/n0uzSWoYAE0/s320/Strassler%2BStaunton%2BRRSmithCenter%2Bre%2Bcourthouse.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
Frank Strassler, Executive Director of the Historic Staunton
Foundation,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
announces the thematic listing on May 18, 2015 at the R. R. Smith
Center for History and Art. </div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Update (7/15/15)</b>: </span>Approximately 70 courthouses are listed individually or as contributing
resources in historic districts on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National
Register of Historic Places. Although
these distinguished resources serve as the center of government, they are
threatened by time and the elements, as well as modernization and the challenge
to meet the needs of the public in the 21<sup>st</sup> century. In addition to the examples mentioned in the
listing itself, Dickinson Courthouse, Halifax Courthouse, and Charlotte
Courthouse all face similar challenges.
Since 2012, discussions have been underway between community members,
local government, and historians to determine the best way to adapt the Thomas
Jefferson-influenced Charlotte County Courthouse. </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
As the thematic,
statewide Most Endangered listing and these additional examples suggest, this
is a timely and important preservation initiative faced by communities across
the Commonwealth. It is essential that groups
come together to identify ways to meet the needs of the public while maintaining
the historical, cultural, and architectural integrity of these prominent
structures. Since the listing and
ongoing work on this topic by both organizations, it has been decided that
Preservation Virginia will co-host with the Virginia Department of Historic
Resources a symposium to be held in 2016 that addresses these very issues. This symposium will be designed to accommodate
a statewide audience of citizens, local elected officials and staff, and
organizations interested in finding agreeable solutions for Virginia’s historic
courthouses and courthouse precincts. Stay
tuned for more information.</span></span><div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Selected Links</b>:</span></span></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.dailyprogress.com/newsvirginian/augusta-county-courthouse-now-listed-on-virginia-endangered-historic-list/article_ac9290f2-fd8b-11e4-89a9-a337b4e4e94d.html">http://www.dailyprogress.com/newsvirginian/augusta-county-courthouse-now-listed-on-virginia-endangered-historic-list/article_ac9290f2-fd8b-11e4-89a9-a337b4e4e94d.html</a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.newsleader.com/story/news/2015/06/17/county-mulls-latest-courthouse-offer/28863031/">http://www.newsleader.com/story/news/2015/06/17/county-mulls-latest-courthouse-offer/28863031/</a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.newsleader.com/story/news/local/2015/05/18/augusta-county-courthouse-preservation-endangered-list/27525991/">http://www.newsleader.com/story/news/local/2015/05/18/augusta-county-courthouse-preservation-endangered-list/27525991/</a>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.newsleader.com/story/opinion/editorials/2015/06/18/augusta-take-stauntons-courthouse-deal/28950705/">http://www.newsleader.com/story/opinion/editorials/2015/06/18/augusta-take-stauntons-courthouse-deal/28950705/</a>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.newsleader.com/story/news/history/2015/06/19/years-ago-new-courthouse-welcomed/28980255/">http://www.newsleader.com/story/news/history/2015/06/19/years-ago-new-courthouse-welcomed/28980255/</a>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Contact</b>: For more information, please contact:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lauren Gwaley, Associate Director of Public Relations and
Marketing, Preservation Virginia, (804) 648-1889 x304; <a href="mailto:lgwaley@preservationvirginia.org">lgwaley@preservationvirginia.org</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(Augusta County) Frank Strassler, Historic Staunton
Foundation, (540) 885-7676, <a href="mailto:director@historicstaunton.org">director@historicstaunton.org</a>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(Northampton County) Joan Wehner, Northampton Historic
Preservation Society, (757) 678-5864; <a href="mailto:jhwehner@gmail.com">jhwehner@gmail.com</a>
and Nan Bennett, Northampton Historic Preservation Society, (757)-999-1299; <a href="mailto:livnfat@baycrk.net">livnfat@baycrk.net</a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-69571141809387707232015-06-29T16:31:00.001-04:002015-06-29T16:38:57.593-04:002015 Most Endangered Historic Places: Sweet Briar College's Campus <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9kRRKSCXaXg/VZGldFQKu-I/AAAAAAAAA2E/0WsGLEcHqbQ/s1600/virginia%2527s%2Bmost%2Bendangered%2Bhistoric%2Bplaces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9kRRKSCXaXg/VZGldFQKu-I/AAAAAAAAA2E/0WsGLEcHqbQ/s400/virginia%2527s%2Bmost%2Bendangered%2Bhistoric%2Bplaces.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Sweet
Briar College’s Campus - Amherst, Virginia</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><b>Significance</b>:
Sweet Briar College was founded near Lynchburg in 1901 as a women’s college by
Indiana Fletcher Williams in memory of her only daughter, Daisy. The original
3,300-acre campus, including buildings designed by Ralph Adams Cram, is still
intact. The Sweet Briar College Historic District is comprised of twenty‐one of
the campus’ oldest buildings listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the
National Register of Historic Places. The Italianate Sweet Briar House,
transformed by Elijah Fletcher in 1851‐52, is also listed. Other resources
include a slave cemetery and dwellings, scenic viewsheds, conservation areas
and old growth forests. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><b>Threat</b>: In
March 2015, the Board of Sweet Briar College announced that it would close at
the end of August 2015. The sale of the campus is rumored. Currently, none of
the historic and natural resources are covered by easements that would protect
them from inappropriate future development. While the college has cared for
these resources over the course of the 20th century, the possibility of a sale
presents them with an uncertain future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Solution</b>:
In order to demonstrate leadership and active stewardship of the outstanding
built and natural environments that comprise the campus and landholdings of
Sweet Briar College, historic preservation and conservation easements should be
put in place prior to any potential sale or change of use.</span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_DXXzFdc5nM/VZGp0GYdMQI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/Dci9pLakS0Q/s1600/hmdb%2Bmarker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="319" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_DXXzFdc5nM/VZGp0GYdMQI/AAAAAAAAA2Q/Dci9pLakS0Q/s320/hmdb%2Bmarker.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo courtesy of The Historical Marker Database<br />
(http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=46318)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Update (6/29/15)</b>: Saving Sweet Briar, Inc., the non-profit group formed to save Sweet Briar College, recently celebrated the announcement of a settlement agreement that will save Sweet Briar College. The settlement provides the opportunity for a new leadership team to develop a plan to shore up the college’s finances and develop a long-term plan for sustained success. As part of the June 20 settlement agreement, Saving Sweet Briar, Inc. has agreed to deliver $12 million in donations for the ongoing operation of the College within the next 60 days, with $2.5 million to be made available by July 2. The Attorney General will consent to the release of restrictions on $16 million from the College’s endowment to augment alumnae funds for the ongoing operation of the College. Moving forward, we continue to urge current and future leadership of Sweet Briar College to take the steps necessary to maintain and protect its unique and significant built and natural resources. </span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Selected Links</b></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.richmond.com/news/article_1a2738fd-d30c-5e15-afca-9286cfcd6471.html">http://www.richmond.com/news/article_1a2738fd-d30c-5e15-afca-9286cfcd6471.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://wmra.org/post/saving-sweet-briar-least-temporarily">http://wmra.org/post/saving-sweet-briar-least-temporarily</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://savingsweetbriar.com/saving-sweet-briar-settlement-reached-sweet-briar-to-remain-open/">https://savingsweetbriar.com/saving-sweet-briar-settlement-reached-sweet-briar-to-remain-open/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://savingsweetbriar.com/category/official-statements/">https://savingsweetbriar.com/category/official-statements/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/06/22/sweet-briar-survives-judge-approves-settlement-deal-to-keep-the-college-open/">http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/06/22/sweet-briar-survives-judge-approves-settlement-deal-to-keep-the-college-open/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/24/us/sweet-briar-collegeis-saved-but-not-in-the-clear.html?_r=0">http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/24/us/sweet-briar-collegeis-saved-but-not-in-the-clear.html?_r=0</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/article_4b2f03d8-a089-5f8c-9c39-6faa19da07ce.html">http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/article_4b2f03d8-a089-5f8c-9c39-6faa19da07ce.html</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB11670627175020993366304581065950780898880"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB11670627175020993366304581065950780898880</span></a>
</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lYBcbAUBibk/VZGqWGvwekI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/yg8Yf249W_c/s1600/SBC%2Bweb%2Bimage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="164" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lYBcbAUBibk/VZGqWGvwekI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/yg8Yf249W_c/s200/SBC%2Bweb%2Bimage.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of Sweet Briar College<br />
(http://sbc.edu/about)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Contact</b></span><span style="line-height: 115%;">: For more information or to learn how to get involved with the effort, please contact nominator </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">Charlotte
Bonini, Sweet Briar College Alumnae Association / Saving Sweet Briar Inc., at: cbonini@mac.com</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-37531159991523016132015-02-23T14:16:00.000-05:002015-02-24T10:15:45.180-05:00Selma Mansion, Still Endangered<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Selma is a 113
year-old mansion located five miles north of Leesburg in Loudoun County. The
property is near U.S. Route 15/James Monroe Highway, formerly known as the <a href="http://www.loudounhistory.org/history/carolina-road.htm" target="_blank">Carolina Road</a>, an important Colonial trading path
that extended from Maryland to North Carolina.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selma Plantation stands in the background as a new housing development goes up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The original
estate at Selma was established in 1815 by Armistead Thomson Mason, nephew of George Mason. A 19<sup>th</sup> century house stood at Selma until it burned in
the 1890s. The present Colonial Revival mansion was built in 1902 by Elijah
White. The 1902 house is Loudoun’s
earliest example of Colonial Revival architecture. Over the years, Selma has changed hands
multiple times and is currently owned by Historic Selma Estates. It does not appear that Selma is currently for sale. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Selma is
part of the Catoctin Rural Historic District, a 25,000-acre area in northern
Loudoun County that contains a mixture of historic churches, schoolhouses,
bridges, small farms, and large estates. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Since 1999,
no obvious maintenance or improvements have been made to the property. A 300-unit development was built near Selma
which disrupted the viewshed from the mansion.
For these reasons, Selma was listed on Preservation Virginia’s
<a href="http://www.leesburgtoday.com/news/loudouncounty/selma-house-placed-on-endangered-list/article_dd85d7dd-cf63-55e4-8425-4c69487acbc6.html" target="_blank">Endangered Sites list in 2009</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
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Preservation
Virginia‘s Endangered sites program helps raise awareness of Virginia's
historic sites at risk from neglect, deterioration, lack of maintenance,
insufficient funds, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Preservation Virginia does not own or
control the buildings we list. We
encourage preservation-minded individuals or organizations to invest in endangered
sites that are for sale or in need of financial assistance. If you are interested in visiting,
researching, or purchasing any Endangered Sites listing like Selma Plantation, please
contact owners, local real estate agents, or local city or county government officials
in which the endangered site exists. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
Sonja Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18269826008968581546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-85976203134789316192015-02-10T14:29:00.000-05:002015-02-10T14:53:35.582-05:00PRESERVATION VA'S TOBACCO BARNS PROJECT SUPPORTS TEN JOBS IN 2014<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Historic
preservation has many local economic benefits, such as the hiring of craftsmen
and skilled workers. Since Preservation
Virginia’s Tobacco Barns Project’s inception in 2012, over ten local jobs have
been supported in the Pittsylvania, Halifax and Caswell County region.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">These ten
jobs represent five local building companies from Pittsylvania, Halifax and
Caswell Counties who were hired in 2014 to repair barns as well as a local
photographer; moreover, these companies will continue working with the barns
project in 2015 and beyond.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrko3-VIayX2pXoMBg0yyeubfGSKQlor1hBlV6K45YDVV-IwUo5W4zr0fbiaAcKjO3kFkv91gPr_h3u0MSVSd0lmV9qNu7iDMhJbbQCP3zzwjrpvf1kCHAh8PYpYUgx2dhtgog8_sJn8QK/s1600/DSC01743+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrko3-VIayX2pXoMBg0yyeubfGSKQlor1hBlV6K45YDVV-IwUo5W4zr0fbiaAcKjO3kFkv91gPr_h3u0MSVSd0lmV9qNu7iDMhJbbQCP3zzwjrpvf1kCHAh8PYpYUgx2dhtgog8_sJn8QK/s1600/DSC01743+(2).JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William and Miles McNichols repairing a tobacco barn in Pittsylvania County</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Not only are
jobs being created, but these jobs go beyond the benefits of typical job
creation by giving back to the entire community. For example, the barns that
were repaired are all visible from the public right-of-way and could easily be
incorporated into a regional tobacco heritage tourism initiative, such as a
smartphone application-led driving trail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">By
celebrating and supporting the deeply-ingrained agricultural history of the
region, the barns project has had other positive outcomes such as strengthening
local identity and reinforcing what people already know — that promoting local
heritage is vital to the current and future well-being of their communities.
These benefits are something that local jurisdictions and economic development
departments should recognize.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Job creation
aside, there are yet more examples of how historic preservation helps improve
local economies:</span></div>
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</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Investing in
a historic house is a sound investment. The lifespan of new buildings is
between 40-50 years but most historic structures were built to last over 100
years. Houses in historic districts have proven to have higher property values
than houses not in historic districts. Historic home owners are also eligible
for historic rehabilitation tax credits.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Historic
buildings attract people who want to improve and be active participants in
their communities. For example, many people have moved to Danville in recent
years for one reason — affordable historic houses. When these tax-paying
citizens add so much to the local economy, Danville’s historic districts should
be considered prime economic assets.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Historic
buildings, sites and main streets attract visitors. Tourism is Virginia’s
second largest industry. The city, town, or county that does not take advantage
of its tourism potential is making a huge economic blunder.</span></li>
</ul>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLVkeLDfK3sQtAWmOBbKJzUc1JFBxxn-JofTJ3NvKmIwNAgDNAOc_TkI1pVZj4eIjl8abUei1NmnyIga0HS9xFoeg-R8uVT90A6jZ7pEwj4adgYcpAKj8WX51QT7hTVUUjYle1xFY0Agp/s1600/DSC_0098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLVkeLDfK3sQtAWmOBbKJzUc1JFBxxn-JofTJ3NvKmIwNAgDNAOc_TkI1pVZj4eIjl8abUei1NmnyIga0HS9xFoeg-R8uVT90A6jZ7pEwj4adgYcpAKj8WX51QT7hTVUUjYle1xFY0Agp/s1600/DSC_0098.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Von Wellington of Wellington Film Group recording the repair of a tobacco barn</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The reach of
the Tobacco Barns Project serves as an example of the kind of inclusive program
that localities should take to heart and it helps demonstrate that historic
preservation in the 21st century is not just about saving elaborate houses
owned by a town’s former leaders, but rather the recognition of a wider, more inclusive
and shared history that also comes with many economic benefits.</span></div>
</div>
Sonja Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18269826008968581546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-11297404844324212772015-01-19T16:31:00.001-05:002015-01-19T16:37:03.167-05:0010+ Years of Preservation Virginia’s Most Endangered Historic Sites Program: A Report Card<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m_qJvV2Qf7U/VL12UMx5RhI/AAAAAAAAAns/ei3gl9KsSUE/s1600/Pamplin4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m_qJvV2Qf7U/VL12UMx5RhI/AAAAAAAAAns/ei3gl9KsSUE/s1600/Pamplin4.JPG" height="204" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">The Town of Pamplin City, listed in 2014.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Preservation Virginia’s Most Endangered Historic Sites list
has helped focus the advocacy and field work of its staff each year for the
past decade. The list includes
buildings, archaeological sites, cultural landscapes, and viewsheds across the Commonwealth
that face imminent or sustained threats to their integrity or their very survival. The list is issued to help raise
awareness of Virginia's historic resources at risk from neglect, deterioration,
lack of maintenance, insufficient funds, inappropriate development or
insensitive public policy. The intent is
not to shame or punish those responsible for the stewardship of these places,
but to bring attention to the threats described and to encourage citizens,
localities, and organizations to continue to advocate for their protection and
preservation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Early on, the first several years of the program were
administered bi-annually (in 2000 and 2002) by the Preservation Alliance of
Virginia. Following the merging of that
organization’s mission with that of Preservation
Virginia in 2004, annual lists became the norm from 2005 to the present. Selected by a committee comprised of staff,
board and committee members, and experts in the field from around the state,
the aim of the list is to raise awareness of a diverse range of historic
resources from communities around the Commonwealth. Once selected, each year’s list helps guide
staff for how best to engage with and advocate for sites. With limited staff resources, focusing
efforts on resources previously identified through the listing process helps us
to better leverage our work in localities statewide. Of course, preservation emergencies or new
issues brought to the attention of staff are always addressed, too. Finally, it should be noted that once listed,
a Most Endangered Historic Site never truly gets removed from the list or our
consideration. Unless definitively
“saved,” listings are monitored and lines of communication with the site’s
nominator or contact are kept open.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Current Status<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As of the current writing, updates and status reports for
each listing from the beginning of the program in the year 2000 through 2014 have
been added to Preservation Virginia’s website.
Where available, pertinent links to news stories and reports are
included with the listings to help contextualize them but are in no way
exhaustive. For the purpose of exploring
the success of the program and the nature of threats that Virginia’s historic
resources face, as well as providing a quick way to reference their current
status, each listing has also been “graded” into four categories. While the particulars of each site are unique
and nuanced, the following four categorizations can be used to characterize
each listing:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">SAVED: The immediate threat to a resource has been
overcome and is not likely to reappear in the
foreseeable future</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">LOST: The resource has been demolished or its
integrity altered enough to jeopardize its register
eligibility</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">STILL
ENDANGERED: The threat present at the
time of listing is still active, unresolved, and/or could likely reappear in the foreseeable future</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">WATCH
LIST: The resource is not currently,
actively endangered but may still face threats and should continue to be monitored</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In order to create a type of “report card” for assessing the
success of the Most Endangered Historic Sites program, we’ve categorized the
current status of listings up through 2013, as above, and have identified the
types of threats as well as the leading factor or reason that a site is now
considered to be “saved.” Some very
clear patterns develop from this way of looking at the reasons for a site’s
current status and how it came to be saved.
For this exercise, each “saved” listing was only counted once, for the
most prevalent reason it was saved, though it should be noted that many sites
have successfully avoided harm due to multiple factors enumerated below. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Since the beginning of the Most Endangered program (through
the 2013 list), approximately:</span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 52.9pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->51% of listings are SAVED</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 52.9pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->25% are on the WATCH LIST</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 52.9pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->13% are LOST</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 52.9pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->11% are STILL ENDANGERED</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Types of Threats<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Overwhelmingly, if one were to assign a singular reason for a
site being threatened, the biggest danger for historic resources in Virginia
comes in the form of encroaching development.
Whether an old building threatened with wholesale replacement or a site
facing a fate of being swallowed up by new development, 43% of listings cited
development and expansion as the main reason for inclusion on the list. Demolition by neglect or abandonment was the
next most popular threat, at 33%.
Roughly 10% of listings can be seen as threatened because of
transportation expansion or infrastructure-related projects. Approximately 6% of listed sites cited
unavoidable external threats like damage caused by weather, while the remaining
5% cited a lack of funding for the reason the site was in jeopardy. Most Endangered listings often face multiple
threats, some of which unfold over time.
For the sake characterizing the general trends in Virginia over the past
nearly 14 years, each site’s main threat was counted once.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Encroaching development: 43%</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Demo by Neglect: 33%</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Transportation/Infrastructure expansion: 10%</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">External threats/weather: 6%</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lack of funding: 5%</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Other: 3%</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How Sites Were Saved<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Much like the multiple and varied threats that have and
still face historic sites in the Commonwealth, the reasons or factors behind
the more than 50% of listings that we consider to be saved are numerous and
often intertwined with one another. That
is, any combination of grassroots efforts, funding sources, governmental
intervention, or other factors could be responsible for a site being
saved. In order to characterize the
overarching reason that a listing was successful, we have attributed to each
listing one predominant factor, with the understanding that others apply as
well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Almost 50% of the successful listings since 2000 can be
attributed primarily to the grassroots efforts of local supporters, whether
individuals or groups, however formally organized. From concerned citizens to friends groups to
fully-incorporated 501©3 private non-profits, it becomes clear that work at the
local level is the most effective way to save a site. Whether influencing elected officials at the
locality level, private interests, or others, the power of a coalition of
people with a shared interest in a resource is not to be underestimated and
forms the approach for how Preservation Virginia works with Most Endangered
listings. By helping local groups to
organize, strategize, and raise awareness of an issue, Preservation Virginia
can help save sites across the Commonwealth. In 24% of listings, securing funding from
non-governmental, private, or corporate sources has been enough to turn an
endangered site around. Also at 24%,
some kind of governmental action, whether funding or more often a zoning change,
has helped save an endangered listing.
In only a couple instances, less than 5%, larger or more global external
factors, like the economic downturn in 2008, can be credited with effectively stalling
or tabling development or expansion plans.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Grassroots/local efforts: 48%</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Funding (private or corporate): 24%</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Governmental intervention/action including funding: 24%</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">External factors (economic recession): 4%</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Why lost?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On the other hand, the main contributing factor for more
than 50% of the sites on the list that are considered LOST was the realized
threat of development. In almost all
cases, the listed resource was demolished to make way for a new structure (whether
it was ultimately built or not).
Finally, approximately 30% of those properties or sites LOST are
attributable to external factors like severe weather events or fire. In a few cases, a resource was lost because
of governmental action (8%) or a dire funding situation (8%). </span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Development: 54%</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">External factors (weather, fire): 30%</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Governmental action: 8%</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Lack of Funding: 8%</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Preservation Virginia’s Most Endangered program has proven
to be an effective tool for helping to save sites across the Commonwealth. It focuses Preservation Virginia’s work in
the field and has yielded multiple thematic projects across the state, like the
Tobacco Barns Preservation Project and the forthcoming Saving Virginia’s
Rosenwald Schools initiative. Most
Endangered listings help to strengthen existing and create new partnerships and
collaborations, from the most local level to the national. For example, two high-profile Most Endangered
listings- Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom and the James River viewshed- have also
been included on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s national 11
Most Endangered list; Preservation Virginia has been working with the Trust to
coordinate advocacy efforts in Virginia, much like local non-profits or groups
of citizens do at the local level with our statewide listings. Taken on the whole, it is clear that the
success of historic preservation is the result of the people involved in the
effort, from the nominators and supporters of listings at the most local and
intimate level, to leveraging the input and sway of organizations and other
entities at the statewide scale and beyond.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">The
complete graphic representation of the program that accompanies this narrative can be found at the following
link:</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><a href="http://preservationvirginia.org/docs/FULL_INFOGRAPHIC.pdf">http://preservationvirginia.org/docs/FULL_INFOGRAPHIC.pdf</a></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For more detailed information on past and current Most Endangered listings and for information on how to nominate a resource for the 2015 list, see: <a href="http://preservationvirginia.org/programs/most-endangered">http://preservationvirginia.org/programs/most-endangered</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-21611176455547564452014-09-15T12:52:00.002-04:002014-09-15T12:52:40.394-04:00Raw Deal for New Deal-Era School?<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">South Loudoun Citizens Group Asks Supervisors To Save Historic Arcola School <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 150%;">Dedicated
in 1939 by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Arcola School is threatened with
destruction. The Arcola School, one of Loudoun County’s few projects under
Roosevelt’s New Deal Public Works Administration initiative, may face the
wrecking ball if Loudoun County Supervisors decide it is not worth saving.</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #080808; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“This brick
building represents a time when our nation experienced unprecedented social
change,” said Jane Covington, member of Friends of the Arcola Community Center. Covington added, “</span>If Roosevelt were
alive today, he would surely be dismayed that Loudoun County is considering selling
the site without consideration of the historic building.” <span style="color: #080808; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #080808; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The building
housed an active school until 1972. It
then became a community center from 1977 until early 2006. </span>Many citizens in South Loudoun County,
as well as <span style="color: #080808; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Preservation
Virginia and state delegates Randy Minchew and Scott Surovell urge an adaptive
reuse for the historic Arcola School, whose appeal is not only its historic
value but also because it is needed by the community residents. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The village of Arcola has been the center of major
residential development. Currently,
there are four developments in the immediate area totaling 12,000 residential
units. Citizens have been circulating a
petition in these communities asking for a community center. Denise Kloeppel, an adjacent resident,
said, “There is no
community facility for clubs, HOA meetings, picnics, after school activities,
dances, social events, and the diverse needs of a growing community. [The] petition was started to show support for a
community center.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Board of Supervisor's Finance,
Government Services & Operations Committee met on September 9<sup>th</sup>
to discuss the fate of the Arcola School.
Chairman Ralph Buona stated: “My elementary school is gone, my middle
school is gone, and my high school is gone.
Fact is times change and we have to move on and build new.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #080808; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The Friends </span>of the Arcola Community Center g<span style="color: #080808; line-height: 150%;">roup challenges county estimates for rehabilitation. </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Between 2003 and 2014, the County's
cost estimate for renovation has increased over six times, from $1.9 M to $12.9
M.</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> The </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Friends group requests that the County
allocate $25,000 paid from Arcola Center proffer for the purpose of hiring an
independent consultant to conduct a feasibility study for the adaptive reuse of
the building.</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> The s</span><span style="line-height: 150%;">tudy would provide
guidance on future capital facility needs and a strategic estimate for
rehabilitation including public/private partnerships, grants and rehabilitation
tax credits.</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Laura Tekrony, Founder of the Friends of the Arcola
Community Center, said at the very least the building should be preserved. She questions why the county spent time and
money having the building listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and National
Register of Historic Places just to have it demolished. Tekrony supports a public/private partnership
that would work with the Friends Group and County to rehabilitate historic
school for the community. The Friends group
was started in 2007 to renovate and reopen the historic building to the public.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For more information, contact the author of this guest blog post:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Laura Tekrony</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Founder, Friends of the Arcola Community Center<br />703-727-6534<br /><a href="mailto:ltekrony@verizon.net">ltekrony@verizon.net</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On May 22, 2014, Preservation Virginia, Friends of the Arcola Community Center, the VA Dept. of Historic Resources, Delegates Minchew and Surovell, and other community members met at Arcola School to announce its place on Preservation Virginia's 2014 Most Endangered Sites list.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-90161695539544934122014-09-09T17:07:00.001-04:002014-09-09T17:07:19.228-04:00Longwood University and the Demolition of the Historic Cunningham Residence Halls<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Longwood University has a rich history. The
college, first known as the Farmville Female Seminary Association, was
established in 1839 and is the third oldest public institution of higher
learning in Virginia. It is also the first state institution of higher learning
for women in Virginia. Longwood has always cared about its history and
traditions and has shown good stewardship of its historic buildings.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">That is why I was surprised to find out that
Longwood University’s Master Plan called for the demolition of the Cunningham
Residence Halls in order to build a new student union. The Cunninghams have
been a central part of Longwood for over 80 years and many students, faculty,
and alumni clearly do not want them demolished. College campuses are home to many of our
oldest buildings, and these historic buildings contribute tremendously to their character. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cunningham Residence Hall</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Below are two very articulate quotes on this
subject from Gale and Associates, an Engineering and Planning Firm from Herndon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“It’s the
historic buildings that dominate marketing materials and draw students to
campus. They convey an image of a solid, lasting institution appealing to both
the students and the parents paying tuition. These iconic historic buildings
are often what alumni think of as they remember the campus.“ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“While it
may seem that older buildings require more work compared to newer buildings, the
reality is that these buildings were constructed to last and now having aged a century
or more, are in need of maintenance. Buildings much younger (post‐War to present),
on the other hand, are exhibiting premature failure due to inferior design, materials,
and workmanship and may require as much, if not more work, than historic buildings.
As universities consider new construction projects, they need to ask themselves,
will the proposed assemblies and construction details last 100 years or more?" <a href="http://www.galeassociates.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Truly-Green_A-Look-at-the-Advantages-fo-Maintaining-Historic-Campus-Buildings.pdf" target="_blank">Link</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">Why Demolition?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Longwood’s Master Plan is somewhat perplexing
because while it calls for the proposed demolition of an important historic
building on campus, it also establishes several guiding principles for itself including: “keeping Longwood ‘like Longwood’; architectural compatibility; a compact,
convenient campus; on-campus student life; gathering spaces; making the campus
more pedestrian friendly; preserving, enhancing, and expanding campus green
space and lastly, including sustainability.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Demolishing the Cunningham Residence Halls
does not fit into several of these guiding principles especially “keeping
Longwood like Longwood.” It also doesn't fit with the “sustainability” guideline. One of the most often
undervalued methods of achieving overall resource efficiency is to adaptively
reuse our older buildings. Unlike demolition, reuse does not produce the tons of wasted building
materials that end up in landfills each year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A new student union seems to be needed, but
why demolish a historic building (and incur the costs) to do so? Why not build
it somewhere else? The reason given to
demolish the Cunninghams in the Master Plan is, “The cost of retaining and
renovating these buildings was judged to be excessive, and the choice was made
to explore other uses for the site.” However; I saw
no financial analysis of demolition verses reuse in the Master Plan, so how do
we know if the cost of renovation will be excessive? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Architectural drawing of new student union</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">2011 Endangered
Sites Listing</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Preservation Virginia has invested a great
deal of time and effort into encouraging the reuse of historic college and university
buildings. In 2011, after receiving
several nominations that highlighted threats to historic structures on college
campuses, Preservation Virginia listed “Historic Structures on Virginia’s College
and University Campuses” to our annual <a href="https://preservationvirginia.org/docs/endangered_sites_2011.pdf" target="_blank">Most Endangered Sites</a> list. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In 2006, five years before the Endangered Sites
listing, Preservation Virginia supported legislation calling on the Virginia
Department of Historic Resources to provide a tool for recognizing and
assessing the critical needs of state owned historic buildings including those
on colleges and universities. Because of
this legislation, public colleges and universities now have additional
information to help them meet stewardship goals for historic buildings while
maintaining their functionality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><a href="http://www.comarchs.com/news/2013_07_11_VCUTerminal.php" target="_blank">Examples </a>exist in Virginia and elsewhere of successfully
renovating and reusing historic campus buildings. Also <a href="http://uvamagazine.org/index.php/features/article/this_old_academical_village/#.VA9MiPldWSo" target="_blank">see</a>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Some Quotes<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Some quotes I have read by students and teachers
include: “The Cunninghams are a part of Longwood history that should not be
forgotten. Longwood students have a connection to their residence halls that is
hard to explain, and the connection to the Cunninghams is apparent when you
talk to alumni, and you hear the genuine love of their ‘home’ when they tell
stories about the fun they shared with friends. So, yes, it is sad to see them
go.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“I have an emotional attachment to this
building. It was the first building that I lived in as a freshman, and now I’m
an RA for the same hall that I was a freshman on. This building pretty much
houses the majority of my college career” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“It’s upsetting to know that we
have to say farewell to the Cunninghams, but again, I understand why they can’t
remodel them. But overall I will be sad that I am losing one of the most
important and integral parts of my college career.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">“I’m going to miss the Cunninghams, but I
understand the reasons they have to tear it down.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria, serif;">I have a feeling that the “reasons they have
to tear it down” have not been fully vetted, at least not by the students and
alumni who seem to genuinely care about their former dormitory. </span></div>
Sonja Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18269826008968581546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-62942852605566954552014-07-12T10:05:00.001-04:002014-07-12T10:12:39.235-04:00Time For a Real Compromise: The View from Libby Hill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kaeiy_tyZQM/U8FAhAWTivI/AAAAAAAAAYg/KZFT_toWpnA/s1600/IMG_9868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kaeiy_tyZQM/U8FAhAWTivI/AAAAAAAAAYg/KZFT_toWpnA/s1600/IMG_9868.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
The Richmond City Council purchased Libby Hill Park in 1851
for the then unusually large sum of $5,000.
The land was set aside by the city leaders specifically for its views of
the entire City, “<i>because it affords a
commanding and picturesque view of the lower portions of the City, the river,
the falls, the railroad bridges.” </i></div>
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It seems like a miracle that we can still enjoy that
extraordinary view today, but it’s not.
For more than 150 years Richmond’s leaders have been guarding the City’s
birthright. Surely we can’t let it be
destroyed on our watch. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Of course developers see the profit potential of building in
this historic viewshed. The high-rise
condo being proposed by Salomonsky and White would take this spectacular view
from the people and sell it to wealthy residents. All they need to do is convince City Council
to ignore the Downtown Master Plan, to ignore the will of the people, and to
ignore inherent responsibility. Then they could have it all to themselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />
But City Council members know that tourism, second only to
agriculture, is the industry in Virginia that brings in more money than any
other business – <i>than any other business</i>. Libby Hill Park and its famous view of the
James River is the top visual destination in our Capital City. The trolley and Segway tours, large bus
groups, wedding parties, romantic dates, family reunions, birthdays and
traditions for large gatherings at the Libby Hill view all reflect the value
people place on the park and its panoramic views. And they all bring money to the City.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In early May, Edwin Slipek wrote an insightful article in
Style exposing this proposed structure as a massive intrusion on the park and on
Tobacco Row, and advancing the idea that this land<b> </b>should be left open to facilitate the flow of nature from the
river to the park above. That vision is
reminiscent of urban park connectivity as pioneered by Frederick Olmsted, designer
of Central Park, and is shared by many who want it to remain in its natural
state. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Downtown Master Plan, adopted in 2008 by City Council
after two years of research, planning, and extensive public involvement (a
process that cost close to half a million dollars in tax payer money) reflected
many compromises. It identified the
parcel in question not for a park, but for building up to five stories in
keeping with its historic surroundings. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Salomonsky and White want more. They are asking for a Special Use Permit
(SUP) to allow them to construct a 16 story building, <u>and</u> to change the
zoning from light industrial to residential, <u>and</u> for the City to sell
them a right-of-way at what appears to be a discounted price.</div>
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Voting on this decision has been postponed twice by City
Council member Newbille, who has been meeting one-on-one with the
developers. The result is a false
compromise. The developers are willing
to drop the penthouse one and a half stories down. Unfortunately, shaving off one + floors
solves nothing. And presenting it to the
public as a solution is disingenuous. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Our elected representatives on City Council are smarter than
that. They understand the economic
value of this public asset. They hear
their constituents and they see the growing strength of its supporters. Just within the last few months, over 1600
citizens have signed a petition supporting the Downtown Master Plan’s vision
for this property, which is the true compromise. It is a waste of time and money to revisit a
decision that already has an overwhelming public stamp of approval.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>So this is the
compromise: It’s a 5-story building</b>. All of the units would have wonderful
views - for some the river, for others historic Tobacco Row, and for others,
beautiful Libby Hill Park. To further this compromise, it should include the
City’s sale of the Cary Street right-of-way needed to develop the land, but at
an assessed market price. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A park would be lovely, but that’s not the Downtown Master
Plan. The plan is a structure of up to
five stories that would protect the view, while allowing the builders to
profit. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Eugenia Anderson–Ellis:
On behalf of all concerned Richmonders <o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /><!--[endif]--></span>
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-72176440462925796312014-06-13T14:30:00.001-04:002014-06-13T14:31:53.759-04:00Old Barns Get Face-Lifts!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b>Preservation Virginia/JTI Tobacco Barns
Mini-Grants Project Update<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Two barns have been repaired and at least thirteen others
are on the way to being repaired under Preservation Virginia/JTI’s Tobacco
Barns Mini-Grants Project. Funded by a
grant from JTI Leaf Services, the Mini-Grants Project was formed to provide
small grants to help stabilize and repair tobacco barns in a three-county
area: Pittsylvania and Halifax Counties
in Virginia and Caswell County, North Carolina.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Over 300 applications to repair tobacco barns were submitted
for the 2014 grant cycle. The project is expected to continue for two more
years. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the barns recently repaired was William (W.K.) Pearson’s
curing barn in the Climax community of Pittsylvania County. This barn has an unusual
overhang that is not supported by posts. Mr. Pearson has been a tobacco farmer all of
his life and plans to pass down his land and barns to his son. M and M Construction from Blairs did the
work. See <a href="http://preservationvirginia.org/programs/tobacco-barns-protection-project" target="_blank">link </a>for more information.</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1NNyegFJV7wWft-Xx33BnyJ7yWrm5fMwlONiU32y0wjOT4HjDfA0UvCjDz5u6UX5l4yAV3-LA2rt-U2Fe0G4UInacNqEiAIz-gz2sZX2nf9BFqIiCHR5flrIgE9qgYc_q0L-6q6WUByK/s1600/DSC_0014.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Barn owner, W.K. Pearson, and William McNichols of M and M Construction at the barn to be repaired</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVu2mGzSinli9ZVuNAkVSTAmUlnzDDPWPBs41zu-f1xlZlZr6HpL1EtPLR-dSf6SGIwtYx3ZnR4R7v-kSYuUF-HKvdQBV1hDTDvv2VLcqgFhBKDsxMRES-BMUqLTuH-8VbGzxWjIeOII_3/s1600/DSC01648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVu2mGzSinli9ZVuNAkVSTAmUlnzDDPWPBs41zu-f1xlZlZr6HpL1EtPLR-dSf6SGIwtYx3ZnR4R7v-kSYuUF-HKvdQBV1hDTDvv2VLcqgFhBKDsxMRES-BMUqLTuH-8VbGzxWjIeOII_3/s1600/DSC01648.JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Miles McNichols of M and M Construction preparing to re-daub and chink the logs </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnYIekHWSKSwk2_438euCCSpbmPh4cz3X5t9i9zsPrcWTlfIhprCGZE8BRBmBu1xvyUe02cCbBX0r_Z8XJg24SWfG8gTSbSsWYMWlUoO3Gn5mIh3AeCdJygf17rOcIEl4k22ySTC7Fr4z/s1600/DSC01646.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsnYIekHWSKSwk2_438euCCSpbmPh4cz3X5t9i9zsPrcWTlfIhprCGZE8BRBmBu1xvyUe02cCbBX0r_Z8XJg24SWfG8gTSbSsWYMWlUoO3Gn5mIh3AeCdJygf17rOcIEl4k22ySTC7Fr4z/s1600/DSC01646.JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Digging for the correct type of soil to use for the daubing</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbl-fDEsR8PnB-qlEqaOVKj3Pqpld4LaP7kVd2RsAANTUjs7JsrmIyWyvJ5QkwnUzIwFkfagAJSnvdasQYBzLskROFjwyJEVrqVT2bJ37A9mU_-4l5jA7LiLqfIG9mpyJh0v2sJG42-Hqj/s1600/DSC01655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbl-fDEsR8PnB-qlEqaOVKj3Pqpld4LaP7kVd2RsAANTUjs7JsrmIyWyvJ5QkwnUzIwFkfagAJSnvdasQYBzLskROFjwyJEVrqVT2bJ37A9mU_-4l5jA7LiLqfIG9mpyJh0v2sJG42-Hqj/s1600/DSC01655.JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Daubing and chinking repairs completed</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTMC7BCg4OG6K5EKSxq5I-hh69qlJb5PhE4wrIcxOX3qxGcaHkExSD8ueYICh6_AEAuC0oNdtRfPsksMEDKBbj_zPiwmZA63rd40H7-xCHLe2R6b9gkDvd3jrx3KfaFfub8rMLxdPanG9/s1600/DSC01673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJTMC7BCg4OG6K5EKSxq5I-hh69qlJb5PhE4wrIcxOX3qxGcaHkExSD8ueYICh6_AEAuC0oNdtRfPsksMEDKBbj_zPiwmZA63rd40H7-xCHLe2R6b9gkDvd3jrx3KfaFfub8rMLxdPanG9/s1600/DSC01673.JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Painting the roof</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</div>
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The first
barn to receive repairs in Caswell County is Doris and Richard White’s curing
barn in Yanceyville. The White’s barn was stuccoed sometime in the 20<sup>th</sup>
century to help preserve the logs. This
addition of stucco over logs exists in North Carolina but is relatively unusual
in Virginia. Broadleaf Timber and
Masonry Reclaiming LLC completed the repairs to the White’s barn.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIohqne88tVYuNJAHkAJSBV3eXrPdyHp2MUcJ936WrF-ztFdCiDYvu5bl8LCW1ktELqI8TzmLPqu068MpjT78inhcq50mCTtBDZisI6ZZSlGeRt_SLe1VVnwpWm4PKokzU9ONKC3ttZxPb/s1600/20140606_122307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIohqne88tVYuNJAHkAJSBV3eXrPdyHp2MUcJ936WrF-ztFdCiDYvu5bl8LCW1ktELqI8TzmLPqu068MpjT78inhcq50mCTtBDZisI6ZZSlGeRt_SLe1VVnwpWm4PKokzU9ONKC3ttZxPb/s1600/20140606_122307.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Doris White, barn owner and Sallie Smith, Caswell County Historical Association at the White's barn</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQeFjgUEyBG87rI6HB3v7yEtiaYW6mAq9nJDcfX9rRN7MzoFVJt8a8yj82AH2p9VFH6aj0NDgEPxzT3knHtgLB4EvKE9CVsslnyNA4N-qlPrM_9YuoGmh1_CAnFDinLHUXJ6PdRKJyJiqy/s1600/20140606_122335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQeFjgUEyBG87rI6HB3v7yEtiaYW6mAq9nJDcfX9rRN7MzoFVJt8a8yj82AH2p9VFH6aj0NDgEPxzT3knHtgLB4EvKE9CVsslnyNA4N-qlPrM_9YuoGmh1_CAnFDinLHUXJ6PdRKJyJiqy/s1600/20140606_122335.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Roof work</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxsUnjlH0by8LuRdyzeSw1hVpd_gZ8DcZXN6wtuabpDVmLh4fstPFk8NU0wykccxEiT8NKs5BbT0PukwMnaTx6TZoSmR257FuTZtMxdh9P-csq5kQACSbe7KbR9yDt3LxRRhV0bNMuY6F/s1600/20140606_122420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZxsUnjlH0by8LuRdyzeSw1hVpd_gZ8DcZXN6wtuabpDVmLh4fstPFk8NU0wykccxEiT8NKs5BbT0PukwMnaTx6TZoSmR257FuTZtMxdh9P-csq5kQACSbe7KbR9yDt3LxRRhV0bNMuY6F/s1600/20140606_122420.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.broadleafcabins.com/" target="_blank">Broadleaf Timber and Masonry Reclaiming,</a> LLC</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIm5ncFDp4jZF68CZQVTIwA3Z-HQYp0OaU7AWrZ6dvmXhTAMUnIKa0EpKIvPRPcarWH0WWE-dsTx5Dw3nq8mfTnmHRepNagnf8q9wcU9AcO4eTPuBJXWynEbKnITmpL1_qq6PwwPtyw9k/s1600/20140606_122832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIm5ncFDp4jZF68CZQVTIwA3Z-HQYp0OaU7AWrZ6dvmXhTAMUnIKa0EpKIvPRPcarWH0WWE-dsTx5Dw3nq8mfTnmHRepNagnf8q9wcU9AcO4eTPuBJXWynEbKnITmpL1_qq6PwwPtyw9k/s1600/20140606_122832.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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For more information on the tobacco barns project, please
see <a href="http://preservationvirginia.org/programs/tobacco-barns-protection-project" target="_blank">link</a> or contact Sonja Ingram at <a href="mailto:singram@preservationvirginia.org">singram@preservationvirginia.org</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p>Sonja Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18269826008968581546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-88751893690933032432014-03-24T14:51:00.000-04:002014-03-24T14:52:43.936-04:00Authentic Port Royal, Virginia<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By: Carolyn Davis, Historic Port Royal, Inc. and<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sonja Ingram, Field Representative, Preservation Virginia</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yj0BwPBEkzsXb_sbXCn7K3RsXdASZ74hljWb6vSpwqa5473R1QMsZLH6m2td9_q1wljY_0ROgdtCedERGzaEWYSmEda_h9odEXDvQ_Ietj8LYQOXqdEVzSl1EJ6-iTEJURefUfxzoJE3/s1600/20140226_144818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0yj0BwPBEkzsXb_sbXCn7K3RsXdASZ74hljWb6vSpwqa5473R1QMsZLH6m2td9_q1wljY_0ROgdtCedERGzaEWYSmEda_h9odEXDvQ_Ietj8LYQOXqdEVzSl1EJ6-iTEJURefUfxzoJE3/s1600/20140226_144818.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catlett House 1760</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGR84okXlJ5hAyL__3SSwEYvuuJSeVqSNh4ps_oANmxLe_GXV51-P8HFW7KVEkiNU5Biby9S3HMdklF1EFGrJ60omGk1pjK2z5hd5sGwQ8rf7S_L_eIH6_9KVE8iKNUYw8W4eAKrm88HJj/s1600/20140226_143327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGR84okXlJ5hAyL__3SSwEYvuuJSeVqSNh4ps_oANmxLe_GXV51-P8HFW7KVEkiNU5Biby9S3HMdklF1EFGrJ60omGk1pjK2z5hd5sGwQ8rf7S_L_eIH6_9KVE8iKNUYw8W4eAKrm88HJj/s1600/20140226_143327.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Powers-Holloway House 1775</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1CFS2WGGn5a8NzHVxZbpMtqoj5z3DJCL7TI0anz63zF0x9WGKsfZeRlThDCjX1UOxYLCObtjDz-xmab73F6gBQdDrfrGRfwrmBak-79aUeD5Z_289DZgZTNW5dBnbVphbFIFmdC-F72b/s1600/20140226_150435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1CFS2WGGn5a8NzHVxZbpMtqoj5z3DJCL7TI0anz63zF0x9WGKsfZeRlThDCjX1UOxYLCObtjDz-xmab73F6gBQdDrfrGRfwrmBak-79aUeD5Z_289DZgZTNW5dBnbVphbFIFmdC-F72b/s1600/20140226_150435.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Town Hall Lyceum and Masonic Lodge</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Port Royal, in Carolina County, Virginia has more authentic
18<sup>th</sup> century homes than Williamsburg, yet not many people know about
it. This small, historic town on the
Rappahannock River is a dream for history and architecture buffs, but it is also
in need of help because several of its most historic buildings are unoccupied
and falling into disrepair. </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUijvLoaFIz-jcOysUTwN4eXjENcW2S3xlk9utlhLyVE8CPTOcoyJVya6aXDhSlqft370O7ZwphzreqYydbbBen7LV6qJDbHlFnu0eIyg_qN4UvqIv5kHQUPdvf8HJ5urX3AHu0h5Hm6gc/s1600/20140226_144435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUijvLoaFIz-jcOysUTwN4eXjENcW2S3xlk9utlhLyVE8CPTOcoyJVya6aXDhSlqft370O7ZwphzreqYydbbBen7LV6qJDbHlFnu0eIyg_qN4UvqIv5kHQUPdvf8HJ5urX3AHu0h5Hm6gc/s1600/20140226_144435.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Port Royal Residence 1745</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In February 2014, staff members of Preservation Virginia and
the Virginia Department of Historic Resources visited Port Royal and were
welcomed by Cleo Coleman, Phyllis Carpenter and Carolyn Davis, members of <a href="http://www.historicportroyal.net/">Historic Port Royal</a>; Kathy Beard,
the <a href="http://www.visitcaroline.com/Tourism/">Caroline County Tourism</a>
Director and two other Port Royal residents.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cleo Coleman, President of <a href="http://www.historicportroyal.net/">Historic Port Royal</a>, gave the
group a brief talk about the history and significance of Port Royal. Some of
the interesting facts Cleo discussed included:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Port Royal was established in
the 1650s along the Rappahannock River as a port for shipping goods to
Scotland, England and Jamaica; <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.historicportroyal.net/project/the-dorothy-roy-chimneys/">Dorothy
Roy</a>, the first woman to own and operate a tobacco warehouse in the
colonies, lived at Port Royal. Today,
all that remains of her home are two tall chimneys on Route 201; however
the chimneys have been stabilized and interpreted and can be seen by all
who drive on Route 301;<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Port Royal has the 2nd oldest
Masonic Charter in Virginia;<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.civilwartraveler.com/EAST/MD/booth.html">John Wilkes
Booth fled</a> to Port Royal from Maryland on April 24, 1865 seeking shelter
at the Brockenbrough-Peyton House after he assassinated President Lincoln.
</span><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRueWwZggCfqzRioTkYuEeqNplZxtnG5uYwR3_0P4DemnGXmh96aoJZ52BgRu-oLu2Pj-UYLDOoMUqkMlCKRMF7cp08b6agLPEh_4shPGlwuMdEZBAvOdNw6RCMo1y-one8Nr3-sfhylg5/s1600/20140226_145849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRueWwZggCfqzRioTkYuEeqNplZxtnG5uYwR3_0P4DemnGXmh96aoJZ52BgRu-oLu2Pj-UYLDOoMUqkMlCKRMF7cp08b6agLPEh_4shPGlwuMdEZBAvOdNw6RCMo1y-one8Nr3-sfhylg5/s1600/20140226_145849.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brockenbrough-Peyton House 1765</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Our group was given a tour of the town as well as inside two of
Port Royal’s houses-- the Powers-Holloway House (tour lead by Billy Booker,
grandson of the current owner) and the</span> <span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Brockenbrough-Peyton House . In 1865, after killing President Lincoln, John
Wilkes Booth fled Washington D.C. to Maryland and then to Virginia where he crossed
the Rappahannock River at Port Royal and sought refuge at the Brockenbrough-Peyton
House. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the story goes, three confederate soldiers rode up to the house seeking
overnight lodging for their friends Booth and Davy Herold; but Sarah Jane Peyton
(1830-1907) wary of the strangers, denied their request. They then continued
west of town to the Garrett Farm where Booth was later killed. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Historic Port Royal, Inc. has done an enormous amount of work
to protect and interpret Port Royal including installing interpretive kiosks around
town and operating the <a href="http://www.virginia.org/Listings/Museums/PortRoyalMuseumofAmericanHistory/">local
museum</a> which has collections ranging from local Native American artifacts
to White House China. The museum also has a fabulous <a href="http://littlefrenchgardenhouse.blogspot.com/2011/02/weekly-favorites-toleware-trays.html">Toleware</a>
collection. If that wasn’t enough, a fully restored <a href="http://www.preservationnation.org/travel-and-sites/sites/southern-region/rosenwald-schools/history.html">Rosenwald
School</a> sits beside the museum on Route 301 which is used by students today for
living history programs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are driving on Route 301 make sure to turn at Dorothy
Roy’s chimneys and visit this place full of authentic Virginia history.</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iqtXCnHQlBp6t7VgciQrkHkT5YJ0gy68eCwsd-6pOqV4nNE1l5pFGXESae2jCTJ_rWTXhVc6Nw72x0rvpY5ZSDfYP5FAVonulKnv07GvBNKBJrlZ0ERbv5VGx_WYujMb3EPTZJ6vPlG-/s1600/20140226_143519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iqtXCnHQlBp6t7VgciQrkHkT5YJ0gy68eCwsd-6pOqV4nNE1l5pFGXESae2jCTJ_rWTXhVc6Nw72x0rvpY5ZSDfYP5FAVonulKnv07GvBNKBJrlZ0ERbv5VGx_WYujMb3EPTZJ6vPlG-/s1600/20140226_143519.jpg" height="320" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chimneys of Dorothy Roy's House</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Sonja Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18269826008968581546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-73645695027638636232013-12-27T13:47:00.000-05:002013-12-27T13:47:21.209-05:00Tusculum Available for Purchase (some assembly required)<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Today the bones of Tusculum, an
outstanding example of mid-18th century domestic architecture originally built
in Amherst County, lie in storage at Sweet Briar College. Tomorrow, it could
begin a new life as someone's home.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">In 2006, the college purchased
the deconstructed house from our Revolving Fund with the intention of
reconstructing the building on the campus of Sweet Briar. The structure, with
some additional retrofitting, would have housed the Tusculum Institute, an
historic preservation resource center providing education and outreach to the
campus and the wider region. Plans were developed, a site selected and
fundraising began shortly after the purchase. The parts of the house which had
been carefully dismantled and preserved were moved into safe storage on campus.
However, despite ambitious fundraising efforts, it became clear to Sweet Briar
that the necessary funds could not be raised within the time frame agreed upon
when the project was first planned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sweet Briar is now seeking an
alternate steward to take on the reconstruction of Tusculum. They are
soliciting proposals through March 1, 2014. Full details of the RFP are
available on the <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTQcNnJtORjlL3PK3_XhsY6YjWVHRkeXYiaLIAiD5ZjBnzdo2I6IJWGTANcXZMXOaeq_0KTF4U5UYdc6MTGxDMpObf2pZ0mimAyFT2E9bkNppbygx4-QOgYGhZNHKBCdr7aXC3gMwlFhQD4JBL17XWmr2BEYFJ1SUgt8ue7cXNJ1p1ypSoU3xor3MlIuUPfJ&c=tUZg72phKv24_OM8djx1UQzyLfi0mvvJ9oW3n2CSuat9X0_G3xFr5Q==&ch=rT84ExGH2QSre9IGt-HWtFXFaXL2RlmGGoxgf99mDTe_7X2Afqktcg==" linktype="1" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><b><span style="color: #000069;">Tusculum
Institute Website</span></b></a>, or <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001NTQcNnJtORjlL3PK3_XhsY6YjWVHRkeXYiaLIAiD5ZjBnzdo2I6IJWGTANcXZMXOFlS-POukOsjri0ZELT2qBV7s7MSPYGTmkyiSko7L3tp53MHjpmNk1n8WCSTJjLmvOa9XrofElpf7gASwh_wM2DKp_IKM3FscKv5Bfm67UmwooF6f00VSLw-sjZRIf_NeBMfufh3Ddzs=&c=tUZg72phKv24_OM8djx1UQzyLfi0mvvJ9oW3n2CSuat9X0_G3xFr5Q==&ch=rT84ExGH2QSre9IGt-HWtFXFaXL2RlmGGoxgf99mDTe_7X2Afqktcg==" linktype="1" shape="rect" target="_blank" track="on"><b><span style="color: #000069;">RFP
for Rebuilding Tusculum Website</span></b></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The framing is well preserved; much information
of the deconstruction is available and even compatible materials for replacing
missing elements are included. This project is one to challenge and satisfy
even the most ardent and ambitious preservationist (and might even make the
most unique Christmas gift ever).</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-89635739592694281462013-09-04T16:12:00.000-04:002013-09-04T16:15:08.280-04:00Resurrecting an Episcopal Church in Southwest Virginia<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
In Eagle Rock, in northern
Botetourt County, a little church is coming back to life. Parishioners from St. Mark's Episcopal, in
Fincastle, are taking an interest in this rural community (about ten miles
away) and have decided to try to restore this beautiful white frame church. Built in 1885, a classic example of the style
known as Carpenter Gothic, Emmanuel was the first church in Eagle Rock, and
served as the heart of the community for many years. By the 1960s, however, the
population of this rural town had dropped off, and the decision was made to
curtail the services to just twice a year. Then, about two years ago, Fr.
Stephen Stanley, Priest Missioner for St. Mark's, pledged to find a way to begin
holding services there again and to explore possibilities for his Fincastle
congregation to participate in the life of Eagle Rock. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1FEEhtUk70hMlrKFbo9zuSuohqcoAm-jRzITiIFKJjGjoegK9U0PkCx0wjdiKRrTaY2ERLppU18y-GwL2yQti3yowvPEJJbe0ptPX1aNHMcswsdjHY5OSnSP1NRDbuPl19Rms9cOTz1A/s1600/Emmanuel+-+May+2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP1FEEhtUk70hMlrKFbo9zuSuohqcoAm-jRzITiIFKJjGjoegK9U0PkCx0wjdiKRrTaY2ERLppU18y-GwL2yQti3yowvPEJJbe0ptPX1aNHMcswsdjHY5OSnSP1NRDbuPl19Rms9cOTz1A/s320/Emmanuel+-+May+2013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Two parishioners, Sidney and
Tommy Hunter, who live in Eagle Rock, are delighted with this initiative. They have
cheered us on, despite the daunting problems.
For one thing, there were thousands of honey bees happily ensconced in
the walls, so various "bee removal" experts had to be consulted. The interior walls were covered with mold and
mildew, so work crews had to be recruited to wash and scrub. The doors have now been painted bright red,
and a beautiful new sign announces the name - Emmanuel Episcopal Chapel. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
The diocesan youth
coordinator scheduled a "Mass on the Mountain" service in May, and
then brought the youth back again in July to help paint the interior. Members
of the local Ruritan Club also joined in on the fun, offering us the use of the
Fire House, and other forms of hospitality.
A new organization has formed, called Friends of Eagle Rock, giving us a
chance to better coordinate all the projects as they unfold. The Ruritans, by the way, are working to
renovate and reopen a community center that had been scheduled for demolition. Their enthusiasm is contagious!<span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBsEcJYHVqLCvAOhb06WAgzTCvLxci9EjVneDe_siF3XESZyNhZvukW14jy5UDAfiHvT3X7z5qMPjsQ_rxbtfnlIpYY70m8AStQkn2kttzKJTf6IoZRz7l0J6qAbToFy7BSOEXNG4tgSl/s1600/Washing+the+Walls+-+Emmanuel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXBsEcJYHVqLCvAOhb06WAgzTCvLxci9EjVneDe_siF3XESZyNhZvukW14jy5UDAfiHvT3X7z5qMPjsQ_rxbtfnlIpYY70m8AStQkn2kttzKJTf6IoZRz7l0J6qAbToFy7BSOEXNG4tgSl/s320/Washing+the+Walls+-+Emmanuel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
We are now hoping to find
grants to support the next phase of work, involving major repairs to the
sacristy and roof, and repainting the exterior.
Perhaps you can help. We are looking for historians and architects who
know something about the history of Carpenter Gothic Churches. In 1883, church trustees borrowed $250 from
the American Church Building Fund, in New York, and paid it back within two
years. It would be nice to know if the
Church Fund provided plans and materials, and perhaps shipped them to Virginia
by train. <span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXLVj1QDXLf_GXg4jC7TZ3GVHp__P62PUt-4ld2uZazsqZ4lQ-RURNvdPuyYFHXNBcrZtsANiYugSjQRLZMn22imdTeojd9DIzYH4m86SFra0a1Uo7u4ZXFqIB_QnEsKy9bJ1Fom6o7rD/s1600/Churches+in+Botetourt+Co.+19672.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXLVj1QDXLf_GXg4jC7TZ3GVHp__P62PUt-4ld2uZazsqZ4lQ-RURNvdPuyYFHXNBcrZtsANiYugSjQRLZMn22imdTeojd9DIzYH4m86SFra0a1Uo7u4ZXFqIB_QnEsKy9bJ1Fom6o7rD/s320/Churches+in+Botetourt+Co.+19672.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
We discovered that another
church in our diocese, Stras Memorial, in Tazewell, was constructed about the
same time, in just two months! It would
have been hard to build a church in such a short time unless there were
ready-made plans, and even, perhaps, a shipment of materials…just like the
Sears mail-order homes of the early 20<sup>th</sup> century. After doing some research online, I
discovered that these churches, with pointed windows and steep roofs, were
popular in rural communities throughout the United States from about 1870 to
1900. A word of caution, though - before you know it, you'll have found a
Carpenter Gothic church in your hometown and launched a renovation project of
your own!<span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Ellen Apperson Brown</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Friends of Eagle Rock</span></div>
Sonja Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18269826008968581546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-10915535935877206102013-07-26T17:17:00.003-04:002013-07-26T17:17:47.117-04:00Previous Endangered Sites- Talbot Hall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-flekYZBo9hc/UfLmz6TCy5I/AAAAAAAAAA8/1YR30uQgmNs/s1600/Talbot+Hall+period+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-flekYZBo9hc/UfLmz6TCy5I/AAAAAAAAAA8/1YR30uQgmNs/s400/Talbot+Hall+period+cropped.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The unsuspecting traveler through a suburban Norfolk
neighborhood might be surprised to find Solomon Talbot’s 1803, two-and-half-storied Federal style house sitting on the banks of the Lafayette River. But Norfolk residents and members of the
Diocese of Episcopal Southern Virginia have long treasured the quiet setting
for contemplation and reflection.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Talbot Hall Foundation nominated the house and
grounds when the Diocese of Southern Virginia announced plans to consider the
sale of the property. While Preservation
Virginia took no position on where the Diocesan offices or bishop’s residence
should be, we did encourage stewardship of the historic property.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Once part of a 2000 acre farm, the house and its lush grounds
have provided a retreat from the bustle of Norfolk. As the Talbot family home, the house survived
the events of the War of 1812 and the Civil War, as well as the end of racial
discrimination and the transition from farmland to suburbia. A bas-relief of the Federal Seal adorns the
parlor wall over the fireplace, and a large porch with Doric columns catch the
afternoon breezes along the Lafayette River.
The riverside lawn is shaded by a group of specimen trees—each selected
and planted to frame the river view from the house. The
Talbot family gave Talbot Hall in 1954 to be the official residence of the
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia and the Diocesan
offices.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So what has happened since May 2012? After the Church’s governing board
commissioned a study in December and engaged Harvey Lindsey Corporate Real
Estate Services to sell the property. Listed at $4.25 million, the Talbot Hall
Foundation continues in their efforts to persuade the Diocese to protect the
property. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Our advice remains the same to the Diocese:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">List the house on the National Register of
Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register and <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Donate historic and land conservation
easements to protect the house and the viewshed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">If those steps are
taken, then Talbot Hall will survive for another 210 years and the historic
landscape will be preserved.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-75245320093411903562013-07-16T09:58:00.000-04:002013-07-16T09:58:20.575-04:00Previous Endangered Sites- Zirkle Mill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NfUYB_zT2jM/UeVQxfw-3oI/AAAAAAAAAAM/2mk4smMZTKU/s1600/Zirkle+Mill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NfUYB_zT2jM/UeVQxfw-3oI/AAAAAAAAAAM/2mk4smMZTKU/s320/Zirkle+Mill.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The town of
Forestville, located in the lower portion of Shenandoah County, is
distinguished by its sense of community and its sense of history. In 2005
that continuity was threatened when the Frontier Culture Museum had its eye on
Zirkle Mill. The plan was to move Zirkle Mill to Staunton where it would
be the centerpiece of their 1850s industrial exhibit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rob Andrews
and Sherryl Andrews Belinsky formed the Save the Zirkle Mill Foundation and
nominated Zirkle Mill to the 2005 Virginia’s Most Endangered List. With
perseverance, resourcefulness and a “can do” attitude, these descendants of the
original Mill owners brought their fight to Governor Warner and succeeded in
acquiring the Mill. Now they are balancing the competing needs of
restoring the Mill and providing educational programming. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">As Preservation
Virginia continues to re-visit past endangered sites listings, seeking status updates
and checking in with those preservationists familiar with past listed sites and
the work required to save them, we hope to share words of advice and support for
others. Rob’s advice to endangered site
supporters is similar to his approach to saving and preserving the Mill, that is,
straightforward: Educate yourself, have a plan, and stick to it. </span><span style="line-height: 115%;">Rob said, “This is
important in overcoming almost every objection to a preservation project,
especially questions like “where does the money come from?” The major concern [the previous owner] had
about sale of the Mill was where the money was to come from to protect
it.” He went on to say, “The Endangered Sites List should be used as a
reinforcement of the preservation effort and as a trump card in difficult
situations. Use it only as needed.”<br />
<br />
Rob and his sister continue to pursue the preservation of Zirkle Mill and they
took their own advice about educate themselves in restoration methods,
techniques, and processes. Rob acknowledges the hard work involved and
the tendency to want to find short cuts. He cautions to “avoid the easy
way out” and stay the course. Today,
Zirkle Mill is saved and has a preservation plan. The Mill is open for
group tours and special events. To learn more about Zirkle Mill visit: <a href="http://www.historiczirklemill.org/index.shtml">http://www.historiczirklemill.org/index.shtml</a></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-12655784379630006572013-06-06T16:56:00.003-04:002015-03-06T13:33:01.659-05:00Some Very Old Tobacco Barns<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As the tobacco barns survey winds down we were able to survey what we
believe are two of the oldest tobacco barns in Pittsylvania County.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both barns are owned by Jay Nuckols, who
lives in a nearby house built in 1828. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Most of the approximately 260<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tobacco
barns surveyed have been of log construction, but one of Mr. Nuckols’ barns is a
timber-framed barn joined together with </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortise_and_tenon"><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">mortise and tenon joints</span></u></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
− the only tobacco barn we have seen during the survey of this type of
construction.</span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxTCSDA7HR1huyxvXBP09J0EZCa1cBRWr5eOI6VM85PxkmbBkTJ2M617abto1LGbN6EO59ALJHJJvWepKvoHkE6i3Q9_tFyIH8EwejKD2XXpSpwIX7f0pUNuRQISYAu_GCn9U-5clv4l3/s1600/DSC_0055-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIxTCSDA7HR1huyxvXBP09J0EZCa1cBRWr5eOI6VM85PxkmbBkTJ2M617abto1LGbN6EO59ALJHJJvWepKvoHkE6i3Q9_tFyIH8EwejKD2XXpSpwIX7f0pUNuRQISYAu_GCn9U-5clv4l3/s400/DSC_0055-1.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mr. Nuckols's timber-framed tobacco barn with mortise and tenon joints</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This timber-framed barn is also much larger than typical tobacco barns and has
six “rooms” while most tobacco barns have either 4 or 5 rooms. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“Rooms” are the spaces between the tier poles where tobacco was hung on
sticks to be cured.</span></div>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This barn was originally a curing barn but was later converted into a pack house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A pack house is a barn where tobacco is stored, </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">stripped and graded </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">after it is cured and before it is sent to the market.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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</div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Pack houses typically have a pit beneath them where tobacco could be transferred to make it more pliable before it was graded. A pit was at some point <v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"><v:formulas><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas><v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"><o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></o:lock></v:path></v:stroke></v:shapetype></span><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_4" o:spid="_x0000_s1026" style="height: 194.9pt; margin-left: -14.1pt; margin-top: 0px; mso-height-percent: 0; mso-height-relative: page; mso-position-horizontal-relative: text; mso-position-horizontal: absolute; mso-position-vertical-relative: text; mso-position-vertical: absolute; mso-width-percent: 0; mso-width-relative: page; mso-wrap-distance-bottom: 0; mso-wrap-distance-left: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-right: 9pt; mso-wrap-distance-top: 0; mso-wrap-style: square; position: absolute; visibility: visible; width: 293.45pt; z-index: -251636736;" type="#_x0000_t75"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><v:imagedata o:title="" src="file:///C:\Users\Ernie\AppData\Local\Temp\OICE_8C62EE40-742D-46C5-914A-810291B42ABA.0\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.jpg"><w:wrap type="tight"></w:wrap></v:imagedata></span></v:shape><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">excavated under this barn for this purpose.</span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoz_doOFKqwjB1tDrfevRGdlGd4fSQ7g0QBsvrhbLNKfnhJ9ufiOLE6LAHzcLtAJsOgqxA9zvUXjmBhr6Ye3gCfOO8fWQYqh42Tr-CZRTox62-2T_pNebW4qzmevFZbiXXjnTPntho55K/s1600/DSC_0066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoz_doOFKqwjB1tDrfevRGdlGd4fSQ7g0QBsvrhbLNKfnhJ9ufiOLE6LAHzcLtAJsOgqxA9zvUXjmBhr6Ye3gCfOO8fWQYqh42Tr-CZRTox62-2T_pNebW4qzmevFZbiXXjnTPntho55K/s400/DSC_0066.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of log tobacco barn showing rooms</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mr. Nuckols’ log barn was constructed of hand-hewn logs and appears
to have been built slightly later than the timber-framed barn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is very large and also has six rooms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The logs are massive with most measuring over
a foot in width. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNj7xYbtXwfKsbofVVAUYD7suVa_xxsoIZsAusz7WhVTugtki9VpmfaWWqQvuCXfJpiI7Xs2ZWyR1YTWwZ7lGeBQSE_wmkTDiB7AM31k1ahIAZ2akuB0uTsbLBcYWOMbqzamV4EgX_lf4S/s1600/DSC_0070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNj7xYbtXwfKsbofVVAUYD7suVa_xxsoIZsAusz7WhVTugtki9VpmfaWWqQvuCXfJpiI7Xs2ZWyR1YTWwZ7lGeBQSE_wmkTDiB7AM31k1ahIAZ2akuB0uTsbLBcYWOMbqzamV4EgX_lf4S/s400/DSC_0070.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior of log barn showing the massive logs used to construct it</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Mr. Nuckols recalled that his Grandfather referred to this barn as the “prize barn.” </span><a href="http://dig.library.vcu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/cook/id/171/rec/84" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Prizing</span></u></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> is a term used to describe packing cured tobacco into hogsheads or other containers for transport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A prize was a huge wooden screw used to tightly compress the tobacco. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Mr. Nuckols is uncertain if the barn served as a curing barn first and later as a prizery; or if another, now gone, adjacent structure existed where the prizing took place.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Nuckols’ and his family’s residence, known as Whitefalls or Stonewold, was built by
Edmund Fitzgerald, Jr. in 1828. The house is a one and a half story frame house
sitting on a full English basement. Much of the interior woodwork is
marbleized.</span> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3NzjSFzprPqVtxGLD-U0lCEP4tQfjjs3v9xM4blK_JJ6O8dqPalB5nx1VA4HYdnRM8OK_Oomyuq2iv7mej6_WEdWuMB9uZf8uBf2wxKAmheOIL4un8PE_P-qzzz6b5xQeflK57J84V3t/s1600/DSC_0087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3NzjSFzprPqVtxGLD-U0lCEP4tQfjjs3v9xM4blK_JJ6O8dqPalB5nx1VA4HYdnRM8OK_Oomyuq2iv7mej6_WEdWuMB9uZf8uBf2wxKAmheOIL4un8PE_P-qzzz6b5xQeflK57J84V3t/s400/DSC_0087.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stonewold, the Nuckols' residence</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">While the exact dates of construction of the tobacco barns are unknown;
given their unusual characteristics and the nearby 1830s house, they most
likely date to the early 19<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> century.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqB9PHrIOHL_0sNeLl61eZPFJdzl2QHYVW3P4G_s-h_NYWv2Kq83uy-KvyMszWt2K2WDjBg47Ih_m9UmcVlNhsKioa67Ckn_KI7_-7YeQ1g0mWpBKevPc3HGdgQnhht-GsW73kYPkaQLvp/s1600/DSC_0093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqB9PHrIOHL_0sNeLl61eZPFJdzl2QHYVW3P4G_s-h_NYWv2Kq83uy-KvyMszWt2K2WDjBg47Ih_m9UmcVlNhsKioa67Ckn_KI7_-7YeQ1g0mWpBKevPc3HGdgQnhht-GsW73kYPkaQLvp/s400/DSC_0093.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two of the family pets playing near an antique kettle</td></tr>
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Sonja Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18269826008968581546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-46104492542751742632013-04-19T16:52:00.000-04:002013-04-19T16:52:21.686-04:00"Tired-Looking" Previous Endangered Sites- the Carver School in Alexandria
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In 2009, Preservation Virginia listed
the Carver School in Alexandria’s </span><a href="http://alexandriava.gov/planning/info/default.aspx?id=22154"><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Uptown/Parker-Gray</span></u></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
Historic District to our </span><a href="http://www.apva.org/pressroom/press_release.php?pr_id=175"><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Most Endangered
Sites List. </span></u></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The building, which sits
in one of Alexandria’s historic African-American neighborhoods, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was once a nursery school for African-American
children and later served as home to the William Thomas American Legion Post-
named after the first African-American soldier from Alexandria to die in World
War I. The building also served as a center of community and cultural activity
for African-American Alexandrians during segregation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBv_iqVXeUek6nN53M0glLp21OMr-gp9sEr1C9EiAnIP4P5kHcKOoqxUc_prnaAqZYYrYP-Ve3-SoJUycjM90iqI-AYyS0EUqk8N0tqsyqKWMtiYEFjLk4AhOlEZkS3Ewhyc_R5txpja7Y/s1600/carver-school-alexandria2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBv_iqVXeUek6nN53M0glLp21OMr-gp9sEr1C9EiAnIP4P5kHcKOoqxUc_prnaAqZYYrYP-Ve3-SoJUycjM90iqI-AYyS0EUqk8N0tqsyqKWMtiYEFjLk4AhOlEZkS3Ewhyc_R5txpja7Y/s400/carver-school-alexandria2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local residents discuss the Carver School</td></tr>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The structure was approved for
demolition in 2010 by the local Board of Architectural Review and city council
in 2010 but the decision for demolition was delayed when the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.alexandrianews.org/2012/greater-alexandria-preservation-alliance-to-release-historic-structures-report-on-carver-nursery-schoolwilliam-thomas-post/"><u><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Greater
Alexandria Preservation Alliance</span></u></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> appealed to the Circuit Court of
Alexandria to stop the demolition.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The owner of the school, William
Cromley, agreed to put the schoolhouse on the market for two years in hopes
that someone would purchase, repair and reuse it; but in those two years, no
one has come forward and the agreement has now expired. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Local residents and members of the
Greater Alexandria Preservation Alliance have now formed the Carver
School-American Legion Post 129 Committee to formulate a new plan based on
private donations and grants <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in attempt
to save the building. Earlier this year, the Alexandria City Council, passed a
resolution supporting a plan to acquire the building; however, most council
members have said repeatedly that the city will not buy the building.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://alextimes.com/2013/03/our-view-saving-the-carver-nursery-school-the-right-way/" target="_blank">Just recently</a>, Cromley again agreed to
put off the demolition to allow the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Greater
Alexandria Preservation Alliance and the new committee more time to raise the
money needed to save it; however, time is quickly running out for this
unassuming, but important, piece of Alexandria’s history. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Sonja Ingramhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18269826008968581546noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-17604389469539000252013-04-17T14:26:00.001-04:002013-04-17T14:26:26.945-04:00Lights! Camera! Action??<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
In 2012, Preservation Virginia included the Ashland Theater on its list of Endangered Sites in the Commonwealth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Ashland Theater has been a landmark of the main drag through town since being built in 1940.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With its playful art deco detailing and dominant marquee, no one visiting <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ashland</st1:place></st1:city> could miss it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>As with many small town movie houses, it closed its doors in the mid 1990’s; a victim of a changing technological environment and a changing economic landscape for how most people view the movies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This purpose built theatre building has searched for its proper role in this bustling college town ever since.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Fearing for its long term survival, the Ashland Main Street Association asked that this theater be added to our 2012 List.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within weeks of the listing, some cosmetic and safety repairs were made to the exterior, raising all our hopes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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In the months since, little has happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The owner, who was sympathetic to the building being listed as endangered, continues to seek a viable end use that would justify the much needed rehabilitation. The Town of Ashland is working alongside othr community groups seeking new life for the building</div>
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Some more prominent theaters have found new life; most notably the National Theatre in <st1:city w:st="on">Richmond</st1:city> and the Commodore in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Portsmouth</st1:place></st1:city> (I expect there are others that I am not aware of).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some are still underway such as the <st1:placetype w:st="on">Academy</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Music</st1:placename> in <st1:city w:st="on">Lynchburg</st1:city>, which received a very significant pledge of support earlier this month and the <st1:placename w:st="on">Taylor</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Hotel</st1:placename> in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Winchester</st1:place></st1:city> (which had a significant theater component and was included on our 2010 Endangered List!).</div>
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Let’s hope that a success is in the cards for the Ashland Theater as well!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, this building could be the center of The Center of the Universe!!</div>
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Louis Malonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11669214947421121954noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5290386897588765199.post-46965246767587760372013-04-15T14:55:00.001-04:002013-04-15T14:55:42.591-04:00Mr. Peanut Shines in Suffolk!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Few things are more iconic of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Suffolk</st1:city></st1:place> than Mr. Peanut!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The Planters Peanut Company first located in <st1:city w:st="on">Suffolk</st1:city> in the early 20<sup>th</sup> century to be close to the fields of Southside <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Virginia</st1:place></st1:state> that grew (arguably!), the world’s finest peanuts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1924, the founder of the company, Amadeo Obici and his wife expanded an 1870’s farmhouse into an Italian Renaissance style home on the banks of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Nansemond</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">River</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Easily recognizable due to its prominent and colorful hipped, terra cotta tile roof, the house was the Obici home until Amadeo’s death in 1947.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The property was eventually re-developed into Sleepy Hole Golf Course with the Obici House serving as the clubhouse and a reception center for the community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the early 21<sup>st</sup> century however, the house was abandoned and rapidly deteriorating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An ad hoc group formed as Citizens for the Preservation of the Obici House and refused to allow the house to be demolished. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through persistent advocacy, they urged the City of <st1:city w:st="on">Suffolk</st1:city>, by then the owner of the property, to preserve the house and its ties to the history of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Suffolk</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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In 2009, Preservation Virginia added The Obici House to its list of Endangered Sites. Because of the strength and determination of the local group, we chose The Obici House as one of the sites for our public announcement of the list. Using the publicity our designation helped generate along with their own efforts, the Citizens group was successful in having the City send out a request for rehabilitation proposals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ultimately, the operator of the golf course undertook the work.</div>
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We are pleased to see, and as this prototroph taken last week demonstrates, that the Obici House is once again a centerpiece property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While some early if not original elements were lost or replaced, the house is saved and the legacy of Amadeo Obici and Mr. Peanut are preserved in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Suffolk</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now everyone attending a function, or simply enjoying an afternoon of golf, can see the splendor that was, and is again, this fine house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The Citizens can take great satisfaction in the success of their efforts. Suffolk proudly proclaims on a welcoming plaque the City's role in the saving of the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good preservation success can reward many efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Preservation <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Virginia</st1:place></st1:state> congratulates all who had a role in the saving of this important place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>And, Hey! – next time you are in the Suffolk area come by and enjoy some peanuts, a nice round of golf and a beautifully preserved Obici House!</div>
Louis Malonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11669214947421121954noreply@blogger.com0