Deerfield Conference on Buildings Archeology, 16 July

On Saturday, 16 July, Historic Deerfield is hosting a one-day conference on “Buildings Archaeology: An Integrated Approach to Understanding Historic Structures.”

The event description says:

The study of historic buildings to pinpoint the initial period of construction as well as later modifications relies on a variety of disciplines and areas of expertise that, when combined, build an accurate case for determining the evolution of a structure. The symposium will introduce the methods and materials available to those who work with, or live in, historic buildings.

Speakers and topics include:

• Myron Stachiw, UMass-Amherst Historic Preservation Program, “Buildings Archaeology: From the Historic Structures Report to Historical Interpretation”
• Robert Adam, “Decoding Carpenter’s Tool Marks and Layout Lines”
• Tom Paske, “Decoding Building Chronology through Fastener Analysis”
• John Vaughn, Architectural Conservation Services, “Decoding Paint: The Use of Paint Investigation for Relative Dating”
• Bill Flynt, Historic Deerfield, “Decoding Construction History with Dendrochronology”
• Claire Dempsey, Flynt Center, “Decoding Documents: Gathering the Data and Weighing the Evidence”

The conference will take place from 8:45 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. at the Deerfield Community Center. The cost is $85 for Historic Deerfield members, $95 for others. For full information and a registration form, download this P.D.F. document.

(Photo of a Deerfield building above courtesy of New England House Historian Marian Pierre-Louis.)