Hamilton School Restoration, Virginia

[PeteDavis]

Off Topic??

This field school was built in 1823. It's in the South Buffalo Creek valley in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Active from construction until just before WWII. We have formed a committee and are setting about to restore the old structure. It's on the National Register of Historic Places. I have been tasked with laying a new foundation under the old structure, which has been lifted 18" above original height and a footer poured. The original cabin rested on four stones.

I am using stones from an old barn foundation. Layery, large limestones. I am doing good tight fitment, but battering the build and jagging things in and out to create a rustic look. This is a volunteer undertaking on my part.

Here are the first two foundation panels.

46050

Hope this is not intrusive. I'll update with a completion shot in a few weeks.

Pete Davis

[Roadkingtrax]

Do you have a website outlining the building or your restoration work?

Looks like a structure worth saving.

[PeteDavis]

No website really.

http://historiclexington.org/historic-schools-preservation/

I have been pretty inactive for a year. Feels good to get some of my chops back.


PD

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[phil441]

Looks like a worthy project.

[dryheat]

Old time schools are always interesting. As small as they were they planted a little seed.

[S.A. Boggs]

Off Topic??

This field school was built in 1823. It's in the South Buffalo Creek valley in Rockbridge County, Virginia. Active from construction until just before WWII. We have formed a committee and are setting about to restore the old structure. It's on the National Register of Historic Places. I have been tasked with laying a new foundation under the old structure, which has been lifted 18" above original height and a footer poured. The original cabin rested on four stones.

I am using stones from an old barn foundation. Layery, large limestones. I am doing good tight fitment, but battering the build and jagging things in and out to create a rustic look. This is a volunteer undertaking on my part.

Here are the first two foundation panels.

46050

Hope this is not intrusive. I'll update with a completion shot in a few weeks.

Pete Davis

BEAUTIFUL!
Sam

[kj47]

A lot of work on your part, nice job Pete.

[k arga]

Pete all your work is beautiful, thanks for showing us over the years.
kurt

[PeteDavis]

Panel C

46053[ATTACH=CONFIG]46053[/ATTACH

PD

[lyman]

curious,

did you number them in any way when removed from the barn location so you would be able to replace them in a similar pattern (adjusting for size of course)??

or just load them up and freehand them in the new location?

[PeteDavis]

The stones are from another structure altogether, a bank barn about five miles away. Coursed rubble limestone is the go-to for valley structures so we decided to use the layery stuff. To answer, the assembly is in fact freehand.

Today we brought out a loader to put some really large pieces in the front gable wall. This wall will be broken by a stone stair which we may not build until the fall. Here's what we put in, I can jostle them as needed and lay up the rest. The end of the project is in sight!

46061

PD

[free1954]

nice work. but my back is aching just looking at those stones. thanks for posting

[lyman]

nice work. but my back is aching just looking at those stones. thanks for posting

+1 ior the nice work!!!

and ditto on the back,

in my younger days we lived in a house that had a lot of rock in the yard, that was sloped a bit,

I dug up a lot of it and terraced the yard over the first 5 yrs we were there,
no damage to my back from doing it, thankfully, but tiring it was

[shadycon]

Love these old building, not only in Va. but all over the world.

[Dan Shapiro]

Great job Pete!

[PeteDavis]

Here's the third side and front. The vent will be covered with a stone stair with a slightly cantilevered top tread to allow the vent to breath. I plan to point up the joints to this piece in late August.


46128






PD

[dryheat]

What's the point of the vent?

[dryheat]

Is the vent historical?

[PeteDavis]

To ventilate the crawlspace.

PD