Virginia’s Most Endangered Historic Sites Program recognizes the Commonwealth’s irreplaceable, architectural, natural, and archaeological sites that face imminent threat by demolition, alteration, inappropriate development, insufficient funding, or neglect. These special “places” play an important role in Virginia’s heritage and should be recognized before it is too late.
Nominations are due April 13, 2012.
On March 29, the Fort Monroe Authority is inviting the public to two planning sessions to shape the future land plans for this historic site. Your input is important to ensure that this historic site is preserved, accessible to the public and sustainable into the future. Plan to attend.
“Rebkee, which is based in Midlothian and founded in 1991, is a major developer in the Richmond area, primarily in the retail sector.
The company recently completed its first historic rehabilitation project, a 36-unit apartment project 1709 E. Clay St. in Richmond, in partnership with City & Guilds developer David Gammino.
Gammino is also a minority partner in the Interbake deal.
“Among the remaining stock of adaptive reuse projects, this represents the cream of the crop,” Gammino said.
Or the frosting on the cookie.”
We are trying to get people ‘fired up’ about preservation and history,” said Jim Sturgis, director of the Northampton Branch of Preservation Virginia, listing this enthusiasm as one of the three concentrations of the group along with preservation and education.http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20111130/ESN02/111300368/Shore-group-seeks-to-fire-up-support-for-preservation?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CEastern%20Shore%20News%7Cs
Stratford Hall’s Gretchen Goodell: An Interview
The gracious Gretchen Goodell has thoughtfully cared for the interiors and collections of two of this country’s greatest historic sites: the house where George Washington died and the house where Robert E. Lee was born. Gretchen has her MA in Museum Studies/American Studies from George Washington University. She was the Assistant/Associate Curator of Mount Vernon from 2003-2007 and currently serves as the curator of Stratford Hall and as Adjunct Faculty in the Historic Preservation Dept, University of Mary Washington. Her most recent publication: Entries “Servant Hall” and “Scullery” in World of a Slave: Encyclopedia of the Material Life of Slaves in the United States, Kym S. Rice and Martha B. Katz-Hyman, editors (December 2010). She and I once had a debate over the use of artificial food in house museums over beers in Old Town Alexandria. But, this blog is family friendly, so I avoided that question in this, the twelfth in a series of house museum stewardship interviews.
Can you give me a day in the life of a Stratford Hall curator?
I am responsible for caring for a wide and varied collection – from fine and decorative arts to paleontological specimens – so there is really no typical day. Often I find myself responding to public inquiries about objects; researching pieces in the collection for our weekly Facebook “From the Collection” post; dealing with environmental or security issues that turn up in the house or exhibit areas; discussing new exhibits with my colleagues; and keeping our docent staff up on the latest acquisitions or changes in the historic area exhibits. We are in the planning stages for new exhibit galleries as well as new tours in the house, so many of my long-term tasks center on these areas.
Stratford Hall is one of the great houses of Virginia. What can today’s visitor learn from its history?
Although Stratford Hall is most readily identified as the birthplace of Robert E. Lee, it was also the home of four generations of the Lee family that included royal governors, politicians, proponents of women’s rights, social leaders, and social pariahs. The Lee family embodies the early history of our country – from colonists to patriots to secessionists. The house itself, built circa 1738-1745, is an incredible piece of architecture that touches upon English/Scottish country house traditions and embodies the work of over one hundred enslaved workers as well as hired and indentured craftsmen. Their legacy lives on in the brick H-plan structure, with original c. 1738 woodwork in the Hall and Federal period woodwork in other spaces. The house also illustrates in places the history of early historic house restoration and the power of the Colonial Revival mentality – Fiske Kimball served as restoration architect for the structure when restored in the 1930s/1940s and his legacy lives on in many of the spaces, as well as the ladies of the Robert E. Lee Memorial Foundation (RELMF), who purchased the property from the Stuart family in 1929.
Our idea of the past is in constant flux. Can you walk us through the various museum interpretations of the Great Hall, one of the most spectacular historic interiors in America, over the years?
When first opened to visitors, the Great Hall still contained many of the private collections of the Stuart family, who continued living in the house through the early 1930s. At that point, the furnishings combined local as well as English antiques from the 18th through early 20th centuries. Once restored for museum visitors, the furnishings were sparse – the ladies of RELMF were still building a collection through purchase, donation, and loan. For instance, furnishings included three Chippendale side chairs from Virginia that Robert E. Lee sat on during a visit to a Virginia plantation during the Civil War. In essence, the Hall was at that point a shrine to the Lee family, as were many of the rooms in the house, and did not have a distinct interpretation. In the mid-20th century the Hall received a major refurnishing that included red damask furnishing textiles (window hangings, window seat cushions, and upholstery), upholstered couches, and the inclusion of musical instruments. Much of the furnishings dated to the early/mid-18th century and ran the gamut of English and American high-end antiques. This is the Great Hall that many remember. Some of the decisions during this time were made based on documentation, but much was based on current ideas of what “colonial” interiors included. The interpretation centered on entertaining and music of the gentry in general and focused on the fine and decorative arts then in the collection. Finally, in the early 21st century, the focus shifted to reflect more fully the early origins of the room and its furnishings, as well as the historic use of the space and the Lee family in particular. Curators looked to the 1758 inventory for the furnishings plan (which included two tables, twelve chairs, two sofas, and a chandelier) and restored the paint colors of the woodwork to the second layer (c. 1760) of paint. In essence, it was at this point that a distinct story could be told – the early years of the Lee family and the Hall, when it was utilized for reading (the four book closets held much of Thomas Lee’s library) and entertaining.
What is more important when sharing a historic interior: the authentic relic or a thoughtful recreation?
I really think that is a tough either/or. Visitors to historic houses in essence are looking for the “authentic” experience – that want to often know what objects are “real” (i.e. belonging to the house/family). But as we so often do not have original Lee family objects to display, we tend toward the recreation based on historic documentation and our knowledge of common practice in the Virginia gentry. More recently we are also looking directly to archaeology for some of our best documentation, and using that evidence to procure period or reproduction objects that more fully illustrate the life the Lees and others on the plantation led. Our current interpretation plan is also striving to be more inclusive of various stories – from politics to religion to race to social and domestic issues – so we look to recreate interiors that tell those more complicated stories through props and creative arrangements.
If you could ask the house one question what would it be?
What did your outside steps look like? When the house was restored in the 1930s/1940s, massive stone and brick steps were installed at all four sides of the house. This likely obliterated any remaining archaeological evidence of the original stair configurations and continues to cause maintenance issues for the original brick structure. Plus, these installations skew our understanding of how the residents of Stratford actually used the house. We think that the main stair was the front south, while the north stair would have been a balcony over a work yard instead; the east and west were likely either a balcony only or single wooden stair. Not a very glamorous question, but one that we continue to ask ourselves!
What has been the most exciting discovery during your time there?
While not a discovery, per se, we just completed the first stage of a comprehensive Historic Structure Report (HSR) for the Great House and it has been tremendous in helping us understand the historic appearance and use of the house. Original plaster that we thought had been obliterated during the 1930s restorations revealed paint colors and closet/wall configurations that would have been hard to discover otherwise. The HSR preliminary findings are whetting our appetite for future room projects and in-depth architectural investigations. For my part, in the Parlor they discovered one lone carpet tack with a fiber attached. That is currently being analyzed and I look forward to hearing the findings.
What did you take away from your recent participation in the Attingham Summer School course?
Seeing all of the remarkable interiors and interpretations during my Attingham coursework really taught me to have fun with interiors. As a curator of a historic house, my job is not only to care for the objects, but also to use interiors to teach. My job is nothing without visitors and we need to make our exhibits interesting and relevant. Ask questions and share the answers (or lack thereof). Play with historic lighting levels to help visitors more fully understand life in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Get visitors involved and engaged. As I mentioned, we are developing a new interpretive plan for the Great House, and my visiting of similar houses in England and Wales really helped broaden my understanding of country house life and gave me new ideas for our future exhibits.
What are the five (plus one database!) essential books in any house museum curator’s library?
At Home: the American family, 1750-1870 by Elisabeth D. Garrett (1990)
The Festive Tradition: Table Decoration and Desserts in America by Louise Belden (1983)
Textiles in America, 1650-1870 by Florence M. Montgomery (2007)
For my particular site/geography I also rely on:
Southern Furniture 1680-1830: The Colonial Williamsburg Collection by Ronald L. Hurst and Jonathan Prown (1997)
Back of the Big House: The Architecture of Plantation Slavery by John Michael Vlach (1993)
Probing the Past database
Joe McGill, a Program Officer at the National Trust for Historic Preservation will be visiting Bacon’s Castle, a Preservation Virginia Property located in Surry, VA on October 5-6, 2012. We’re so excited for the opportunity to raise awareness about this important preservation goal. You can find more information on Mr. McGill and the Slave Dwelling Project on his website here.
At our awards ceremony this year, Mandy Matherly Stowe was awarded Preservation Virginia’s Young Preservationist of the Year Award for 2011.
Mandy’s dedication and work on establishing Virginia’s first high school preservation clubs at George Washington High School and Galileo Magnet School, starting a historic preservation scholarship fund for high school students in the Danville Region and being the youngest board member ever to serve the Danville Historical Society are all reasons Mandy received the award in the first place.
But Mandy’s continued good work has made us decide to keep track of her and report back what she has been doing since she received the award in September.
One of the Mandy’s recent endeavors is working with students from the high school preservation clubs on a project to paint plywood that covers windows in houses in Danville’s Old West End Historic District. The students used stencils and also painted free-style designs on windows to help beautify the neighborhood and to let others know that the houses and neighborhood are still being cared for and not forgotten.
Mandy also helped Danville Historical Society with a membership drive at the local mall and organized a field trip for the Galileo School Club to the local Genealogy Department at Danville’s Public Library.
As Mandy continues with all of her preservation efforts we will continue to keep our readers informed. Who knows, maybe another young person interested in history and preservation will be inspired!
How’s It Hanging?
The Restoration Department has spent the better part of three weeks installing a six inch, half-round gutter on the South side of the Memorial Church at Historic Jamestowne. The .032 inch thick, aluminum gutter is a factory finished “Mansard Brown” color, to mimic the color of oxidized copper. Because of the large crown molding on the church, the gutter could not be hung from the fascia, but had to be hung from straps screwed to the roof sheathing. This installation required the starter and first course of slate shingles be removed along the entire 55 foot length of the roof. The crew repaired and replaced damaged sections of the roof sheathing and crown molding as needed. They then applied 30-pound roof felt to the exposed roof section until the starter and first course of slates could be reapplied. Stainless steel gutter hangers, roof straps and screws were used in the installation process, so this won’t have to be done again for a great while. Stainless steel “snow catchers”, painted black, were also installed, to protect the roof gutter, and guests visiting Jamestowne, from ice sheets sliding off the roof. It is hoped that the roof gutters will reduce the moisture that is wicking up into the foundations of the frame church of 1617, that are displayed under glass in the memorial church. The gutters should also the keep the roof runoff from soaking into and migrating through the brick buttresses, where it is damaging plaques that are set into the interior masonry walls. While the scaffold was set up, the crew used the opportunity to inspect and replace about 10 damaged slates on the upper parts of the roof.
This is a really interesting issue. As part of our Revolving Fund Program, we have come up with our own “official policy”:
Moving or dismantling historic structures can be a difficult decision and really is best handled on a case by case basis. However, Preservation Virginia’s Revolving Fund Program does not encourage moving or dismantling a historic structure because doing so diminishes its historic significance and contributes to the loss of historic fabric. The National Park Service sums it up well in their statement:
Significance is embodied in locations and settings as well as in the properties themselves. Moving a property destroys the relationships between the property and its surroundings and destroys associations with historic events and persons. A move may also cause the loss of historic features such as landscaping, foundations, and chimneys, as well as loss of the potential for associated archeological deposits.
The National Park Service also “encourages the preservation of historic properties as living parts of their communities.” Once a structure is moved, a community loses an important part of its history. Also if a structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places or the Virginia Landmarks Register the relocation that structure will result in “de-listing” from the Registers. However, if they cannot remain in place due to demolition, loss of context due to sprawl, or inappropriate development the Program will consider relocation after all avenues have been explored.
Basically, its a really tricky issue to navigate!
I grew up in an extremely populated area. The city was once filled with charming houses and buildings, but now it is filled with miles and miles of track homes. Where are all the charming structures now you may ask? Well, some of them were moved to a 4.1 acre area of land where they were restored…
The Secret to a successful doctor’s visit is asking informed questions. “I read online that mercury is poison. Could you prescribe something better for my back pain?” “Will my insurance plan cover leeches?” “Is amputation the only option?”
At Hugh Mercer’s Apothecary Shop, an 18th-century doctor’s office and pharmacy in Fredericksburg, Va., the answers are “no,” “I don’t know” and “yes.”
Awesome article about one of our properties in Fredericksburg, Va!
Bacon’s Castle Charrette
char·rette
How do we know this? Well, because we are asking Surry County residents to take part in this new phase in the life of Bacon’s Castle. Seems simple enough, since this community of 7,000 residents has relied on Bacon’s Castle for four centuries. This site has served Surry County as a site of commerce, as a working plantation and later home to generations of tenant farmers, and in the 20th century as a tourist site drawing thousands of visitors to the region annually. Going forward we hope to continue to serve as a community resource. Clearly, Bacon’s Castle and Surry County are integrally linked in the past and the future.
On October 26th, Preservation Virginia held a charrette, inviting experts in the fields of sustainable agriculture, 17th-century architecture, museology, tourism, archaeology, and more to talk with Surry County business and government leaders and Preservation Virginia staff. Our intention was to find out what Surry County needs and what we can provide. By the end of a full day of touring the site and facilitated discussion we are a step closer to reopening Bacon’s Castle as a productive part of the Surry Community and a fantastic resource for tourists and locals alike. The long-term survival of Bacon’s Castle dependson community engagement and we look forward to working with Surry county residents and leaders as we plan for new programming at the site.Think Globally, Preserve Locally
You’ve heard the phrase “Think Global, Act Local” and you’ve seen the “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” bumper stickers. You are familiar with the “locavore” food movement, right? Well, isn’t preserving the neighborhoods and architectural fabric of your community one of the most important local acts you can commit?
When you think about it, local is everything. Local IS your neighborhood, your backyard. How do you want your community to look? Do you want it to maintain its sense of place? It’s local flavor? Or, do you want it to look like every other place across America?
We travel to see the “local” in each new place. Each place, town, and neighborhood we visit has its own distinct flavor. That will stop if we fail to commit to preserving our individual communities. The best way to ensure the integrity of each local town is to support regional preservation efforts in your community. Consider donations to your local preservation non-profit. Or, how about donating some time to helping an historic site?
Don’t get me wrong, I like the idea of committing to buying local products for many reasons but let’s just don’t forget about the buildings, neighborhoods and other historic fabric that make up our communities. They deserve our attention and commitment as well.
Quick fun video showing some of the hundreds of properties saved by Preservation Virginia.
The Crooked Road to Improving Local Economies
I read today that revenue from tourism in Virginia increased nearly 7 percent to about $19 billion in 2010. Tourism in Virginia also supported 204,000 jobs and provided more than $1.3 billion in state and local taxes last year. I also read an article about Galax, Virginia and how it was just announced that a furniture manufacturing plant that will create over 300 jobs is coming to Galax.
The company, Albany Industries, is also revitalizing a vacant property so few new infrastructure costs will be needed. These two articles coincided nicely with a presentation I was giving recently on the importance of heritage tourism and how in today’s economy, localities need to diversify and embrace all economic outlets to survive. But the articles also made me wonder — is there a link between local revitalization/heritage tourism and the creation of new manufacturing jobs? 
The Crooked Road, Virginia’s heritage music trail, created in 2003, has helped generate huge economic gains for towns and communities in southwest Virginia like Galax. In just 8 years, the Crooked Road was listed as a National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Distinctive Destination; it has also been featured on the National Geographic’sDiscover Appalachia Interactive Map and the Smithsonian’s online magazine.
But the real story is the economic impacts of the Crooked Road. According to the 2008 Crooked Road Economic Impact, accommodation spending increased by 232% in Galax from 2004-2007 and by 90% from 2003-2007 in Floyd. Direct spending in the region from visitation is estimated at $12.9 million and the total economic impact to the region is estimated at $23 million per year.
Why did Albany Industries choose Galax over other Virginia cities? I am confident that the available workforce, monetary incentives and political maneuvering were all reasons, but these reasons seem to exist in many Virginia towns.
Maybe Albany Industries chose Galax for another reason as well; perhaps it was because they wanted to be positioned in an area of revitalization, activity and festivity — traits that Galax possesses, in part due to a heritage tourism initiative called the Crooked Road.
