Eagle Scouts Invade The Castle

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

Now You See It, Now You Don't

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

Snow at Historic Jamestowne

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

Historic Jamestowne Days

The restoration department is working at its home base on Jamestown Island late February and early March, addressing maintenance needs before Island events in May. The church foundations were brushed clean of moss and algae growth, then treated with a biocide to retard regrowth. This procedure is normally done annually and takes about two days.

The Yeardley house foyer floor is being replaced. The house is considered an historic structure, so the floor is being replaced in kind. Powder post beetle infestation ruined the existing, period, yellow pine floor. Some superficial plaster repair and paint was also done to the ceiling of Bly Straube's office in the Yeardley, while she is away in England.

Yeardley Flooring

Jon Miano stands, undaunted and ready apply varnish, in front of the drying rack where the Restoration Dept has placed the bulk of the new flooring for the Yeardley House foyer area. The existing yellow pine flooring had been riddled with powder-post beetle damage. It was sanded and refinished during the Yeardley's earlier renovation, but because of the beetle damage, normal foot traffic broke up its surface. The replacement floor copies the existing floor, tongue-and-grooved, clear yellow-pine, three-quarters of an inch thick with a three-and one-half inch exposed face. The pine is stained with minwax, "ipswich pine" stain and will be given at least two coats of oil varnish. The floor is being pre-finished to avoid disrupting normal Rediscovery activities as much as possible during the installation. The rack behind Jon holds 125 floor boards.

Got Snow?

The restoration dept went to the Hollow the week of 1/26/09 to clean out the detritus between the first floor ceiling and the second floor. There was about 4 inches of snow and ice that fell in Fauquier while we were there. We removed about 200 pounds of material (dirt and feces) from the voids. It was disappointing that we found no period artifacts when we sifted through the debris. It was a crappy job, but somebody had to do it.

1801 Reenactment takes shape at the John Marshall House

This Friday guests will get a chance to go back into time and experience John Marshall swearing in Thomas Jefferson as it was March 4, 1801. Marshall inaugurated more Presidents than any other Chief Justice----five heads of state resulting in nine inaugural ceremonies! Mark Greenough will portray John Marshall and Bill Barker will serve as Thomas Jefferson during the 11:30am event. Even Marshall's clerk, Jacob Wagner and his good friend Daniel Call will be in attendance. The ceremony will culminate with dancing by the Richmond Colonial Dancers. Parking will be available outside on Marshall and 9th Streets. Come early, as seating is limited and the response has been strong.