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 Prior to disassembly |  Reassembled |
The mission
of Virginia's Explore Park is to help each visitor rediscover the history
of the land and the people of western Virginia through experiences that
reveal the past and illuminate the future.
At the heart
of this mission is the identification of historic structures that are valuable
to the community, the research that is completed about the structures, and
the delicate process of dismantling a structure, and reassembling it on
the grounds of Virginia's Explore Park.
A perfect example
of this process is the Kemp's Ford School. The donation of the Kemp's Ford
School by the Franklin family provided a unique opportunity for Virginia's
Explore Park to study and interpret the educational system of historical
southwest Virginia.
A substantial
amount of original historic fabric of the Kemp's Ford schoolhouse was intact.
There had been very little vandalism or renovation which allowed for easy
reconstruction and conservation.
The Kemp's
Ford School had been in operation for approximately 75 years, from 1860
to 1935. The region was culturally isolated during the period following
the Civil War and changed little during the time the schoolhouse was in
greatest use. Reports from Kemp's Ford students of the 1920s closely mirror
the experiences of 19th century students.
The building
had changed little over time. The roof had been replaced twice, the interior
was painted, and a hole was cut in one wall for a woodstove vent pipe. Otherwise,
it stood as it was first built with minor repairs over time. Building methods
were simple and rustic with indigenous materials used whenever possible.
The long life of the building testifies to the sturdiness of its construction
and materials.
All efforts
were made to reuse original materials. Similar materials and methods were
employed when new work was added and great care was taken to preserve the
original appearance of the building.
Dismantling
of the Kemp's Ford School began on November 22, 1993. The crew consisted
of Gary Winkler, historic resources specialist and Allen McGrady, assistant
resource specialist. Two field workers assisted. The crew spent two days
on the site for orientation and training before proceeding with the dismantling.
A field note/inventory
system was established as a framework for documentation. The system was
maintained by Allen McGrady who served as project foreman.
All elevations
and interiors were accurately drawn and photographed prior to dismantling
to record present conditions.
Initial dismantling
focused on the removal of the interior wall boards. Each elevation was carefully
cleaned with sponges and mild soapy water in an attempt to remove only the
most recent "non-historic" graffiti. Each interior wall was then
re-photographed. As each tongue-and-groove board had been nailed through
the face, great care had to be taken to avoid splitting the wood during
removal. As each board was removed, a number corresponding to the item in
the field drawings was applied to the back with a wax lumber pencil. Each
elevation was segregated and placed on a pallet. All hardware was sampled
and salvaged for future reuse.
Window casings
and trim were inventoried and removed.
All exposed
building framework was drawn, inventoried and photographed. Measurements
were taken of all structural details.
Interior ceiling
boards were inventoried, photographed and removed. Hardware was sampled
and salvaged for reuse and all material was carefully placed on a pallet.
The extant
corrugated metal roofing was removed to expose the sheathing boards. Both
roof faces were drawn, inventoried and photographed. As each sheathing board
was removed, the shingle nails (evidence of the building's original roof)
were removed, sampled and segregated for possible reuse. All material was
carefully placed on a pallet.
With the building's
roof truss structure exposed, each component was drawn, inventoried and
photographed. The attic space revealed was also examined for artifact evidence.
Interior ceiling
boards were inventoried, photographed and removed. Hardware was sampled
and salvaged for reuse and all material was carefully placed on a pallet.
Roof rafters
and stringers were removed, palletted and loaded onto truck for transportation
to the Virginia's Explore Park site.
Weatherboarding
was inventoried and palletted according to elevation. All hardware was sampled
and segregated for possible reuse.
Exposed framing
was examined, photographed and disassembled. All material was carefully
placed on a pallet according to elevation.
With sills
and sleepers exposed, the area was examined by archaeologists. Construction
details were drawn and all materials inventoried.
Prior to the
dismantling of the chimney, mortar samples were systematically taken from
various locations. The chimney was carefully drawn and courses identified
for inventory. The brick was numbered on the flue face as it was removed
and placed on a pallet. The stone was also numbered, removed and palletted.
After careful
examination and documentation of the foundation and chimney pad by archaeologists,
the remaining rock was gathered by loader.
Dismantling
of the Kemp's Ford School was completed on December 15, 1992. All materials
were stored at Virginia's Explore Park for further evaluation.
A period
of review concerning all data collected at the Kemp's Ford School site occurred
between December 15, 1993, and January 15, 1994. All field notes and photographs
of the structure were carefully examined. Field measurements were compared
with the stored building components and drawings refined accordingly.
This data was
then passed along to Hill Studios, PC, project architects, for further revision
and interpretation. Orientation of the building on its new site and the
grade were also determined, with all necessary coordinates being fed to
the project architects. On-site meetings were held with stonemason Ramsey
Copper to evaluate the foundation and chimney elements.
Project architects
produced a foundation plan that would meet Roanoke County Building requirements
and a Sediment Control Plan was developed by Richard Burrow, park engineer,
and James Baldwin, Virginia's Explore Park's natural resource specialist.
These documents were submitted to the county on January 12, 1994, as part
of an application for a building permit.
There is
evidence of three distinct roofing applications: chestnut shake (1860-1890),
standing seam metal (1890-1940), and corrugated metal (1940-1994). The dates
reflect the expected lifetime of these materials. Of these three, the shake
was preferred for reconstruction because it was the original. Replacement
would also prove more cost effective than the alternative.
The painting
of the interior constituted the only other major alteration of the school
building. Since this was done after the structure ceased to be used as a
school, the paint is not considered historic and was removed in a manner
consistent with proper conservation methodology.
The overall
construction of the building does not demonstrate great craftsmanship and
in some cases there are obvious deficiencies. The top plate, which consisted
of 1" milled stock, was green at the time of construction and proved
insufficient to uniformly support the weight of the roof structure. In the
reconstruction the plate was supplemented with additional material.
