DEERFIELD, MASS. — The study of historic buildings to pinpoint the initial period of construction and the methods and materials available to determine the evolution of that structure is the focus of the upcoming symposium, “Buildings Archaeology: An Integrated Approach to Understanding Historic Structures,” taking place at Historic Deerfield. Geared towards both professionals practicing in all aspects of the preservation field as well as owners of historic structures, the symposium will be Saturday, July 16, from 8:45 am to 4:30 pm in the Deerfield Community Center, 16 Memorial Street.
Stanton-Davis house, Stonington, Conn., circa 1724, circa 1754. Owned by the Stanton-Davis Foundation. Photo by Eric Gradoia.
The symposium will feature lectures and presentations from notable speakers on the topic of building archaeology. They include Myron Stachiw, historical consultant/adjunct faculty, UMass-Amherst Historic Preservation Program, who will present “Buildings Archaeology: From the Historic Structures Report to Historical Interpretation”; Robert Adam, preservation carpenter/educator, presenting “Decoding Carpenter’s Tool Marks and Layout Lines”; and Tom Paske, building conservation consultant, who will present “Decoding Building Chronology through Fastener Analysis.”
Also, John Vaughn, architectural conservator, Architectural Conservation Services, will present “Decoding Paint: The Use of Paint Investigation for Relative Dating”; Bill Flynt, architectural conservator, Historic Deerfield, Inc, to present “Decoding Construction History with Dendrochronology;” and Claire Dempsey, social and architectural historian, who will present “Decoding Documents: Gathering the Data and Weighing the Evidence.”
Registration is $95 per person ($85 for Historic Deerfield members) with an optional box lunch for purchase. To view the complete schedule and to register, www.historic-deerfield.org/bas or contact Julie Orvis at 413-775-7179.
