We are hosting a three-part event spanning three seasons in southwestern New Hampshire. Parts 2 and 3 are contingent upon success in Part 1, which is on track and ready to roll for the week of May 24 to 29.
The project involves taking down, repairing, and moving a pre-Civil War barn from a beautiful site on the Connecticut River (at the Cheshire County House of Corrections), and re-erecting the barn in its new home at Pisgah State Park in Winchester, NH. Parts 2 and 3 will take place at Pisgah State Park, an undeveloped park about as far west and south as you can get in New Hampshire, hard by the Ashuelot River. We will have use of the existing Visitor's Center (built by Benson Woodworking in 1998) and plenty of support from our hosts, the Friends of Pisgah.
Parts 1 and 2 will be run as Guild workshops, for which a small tuition will be charged. Part 3 will be run as a rendezvous without charge. We expect to get the 2004 apprentices deeply involved in this event.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This workshop will focus on the documentation and safe and careful disassembly of a historic structure. We expect to arrive on site to find the roof gone, but the siding intact. Our goal is to finish up on Saturday afternoon with a big pile of labeled timbers, and a much better understanding of what will be needed to repair this building. Before we leave, the timbers will be stacked somewhere, marked with metal tags, and covered from the weather (perhaps by that pile of recently removed roofing).
Some of this work will be dirty, some will be in the air. Everything we can teach about old barns will be taught. Arron Sturgis and Joel McCarty will be the principal leaders, and there will be a small tuition charged.
The roof is off (thanks to Ted Ferguson) and the clock is ticking.
There's still time and room enough to sign up for this event.
Proposed Workshops
July 12-17: Appropriate and Authentic Repair of Historic Structures Workshop
This workshop will include the hewing of at least some of the replacement tie beams, all of which have been broken. Various strategies for repair (rather than replacement) will be evaluated, and some will be demonstrated. Participants will likely get plenty of experience in post repair as well. We will charge a small tuition for this workshop.
Sept. 27-Oct. 2: Raising the Pisgah/Blood Farm Barn Rendezvous
This event will consist of the assembly of the recently repaired barn, and the raising of the barn with much ceremony, culminating in a giant party on October 2. The Guild will promote and operate a rendezvous on site with timber framers and interested parties from all over the world. No tuition will be charged, but participants will be registered and, as always, required to sign a waiver and to take direction.
Fee & Accommodations: The fee for the workshop is $150 for members and $200 for non-members, which includes instruction and lunch every day. Primitive camping is available on site at no charge. Lunches will be provided on site each day, Monday through Saturday. The site is on River Road in Westmoreland, NH, just off State Route 12 between Keene and Walpole, NH. Both towns are within six miles of the site, and offer various diversions, accommodations, and delights. Call Joel for local accommodation contacts.
No night work is planned for this event, which will begin each day at 8:30 a.m. A crane will by used on the final two days for the high disassembly. We will brace the structure as we go to make sure there are no surprises as we take it apart.
The Guild prides itself on being able to meet the instructional needs of event participants; expect to be fully engaged. These workshops tend to fill up, so to avoid missing out, register early. You may register in the online store, or you may fax or mail the form in the Confirmation Packet.
Cancellation policy: If you need to cancel, tuition is refundable minus a $50 administrative fee. If you cancel after that, the fee may be applied to another Guild event.
Contact Joel McCarty if you have any questions.
