JMH is DUE

On June 7, 2010, the Restoration Department replaced the courthouse-side basement window for the John Marshall House. This window was replaced about 20 years prior by the department, using a prime grade heart pine. We now know why the window only lasted that long, as it was almost totally consumed by termites. Karl Newago is putting the finishing touches on the mortar pointing, while Jon Miano is caulking the inside edges. Since this window was made from pressure treated pine, and since the Marshall House now has rain gutters, we are expecting it to last much longer.

JMH Windows

The Restoration Department is almost done making three reproduction basement windows for the John Marshall House. Two of the old windows were from the house restoration in the 1970's, and one was from the 1990's. It is perplexing that the latest window, which the department made out of a very good quality resawn heart pine, only lasted 20 years. In keeping with our policy to use renewable resources when possible, we made the new windows out of pressure-treated yellow pine. They will be painted so the use of pressure-treat will in no way detract from the appearance of the house. The windows took three men a full week to reproduce.

New Finish

The stairs at the John Marshall House are getting a new finish. The old finish was worn away, and foot traffic was starting to damage the treads and risers. After three days of sanding, the stairs were clean enough to stain and varnish. The stain used was Minwax "Provincial" that was brushed on and immediately ragged off. The pictures show one coat of oil-based varnish. They will get at least two more coats.

Watch That First Step

The Restoration Department is doing conservation work on the period stairs at the John Marshall House. Here, at the second floor landing, the ballistrade had to be removed so the the landing nosing could be conserved. The crew had to glue and screw a split where the tread crossed over the riser. They also reinforced the groove section in the back of the floor board. The upper shoulder of the groove had worn thin from foot traffic, and a section of it was broken out, probably from a high-heeled shoe. The lower shoulder was sawn away, and a full size strip was glued under the upper shoulder, to make it as thick as the rest of the floor board. The corresponding tongue on the adjacent board will be cut away, and the boards will be simply butted together. A dutchman was used to replace section broken out by the shoe.

Memory Update on Porch

Not bad for an old guy. My files reveal that the decking on the 9th Street porch was actually done by Peter Post and was completed in June 1986. It was part of the same project that did have Fred Ecker involved, but while he was still on our staff. Our crew (Chuck, Fred and Mike according to Grant billings - talk about a dream team of restoration carpenters!!)worked inside replacing panels on the interior shutters while Peter was hired to do the work on the porch. According to his billing records, most of the deck was replaced using 2" by 6" salt treated lumber purchased from Siewers, which he made tongue in groove. That deck has been in place for 24 years and is holding up remarkably well. A good paint job should ensure us at least another 10 years if not more.

9th Street Porch at JM House

Among the items to be addressed at the John Marshall House as part of the Exterior trim portion of the project is the 9th Street porch. Even though it is rarely used, it is on a major thoroughfare and needs to be kept in good condition. Walking on it this morning, the decking itself is actually in pretty good shape. Fred Ecker and his Tidewater Preservation group relaced the decking in the late 1980s? Going by memory here but I believe it was about that time frame. The paint is in very bad condition and will need a thorough scraping, unless it manages to completely peel itself off before we get there to scrape it. Then a good coat of deck paint and a commitment to refresh it every five years or so.

John Smith Roasted His Weenie Here

Hey, it could have happened. The restoration department just finished installing an exterior outlet for a food kiosk by the Archaearium. The 110 volt, 20 amp GFCI circuit runs in pvc conduit for just over 200 feet and is mounted to the statehouse fence. It took 3 men about 3 days plus $265 in materials to install. Good luck keeping guests with their food purchases out of the museum.