Local Preservation

HIDDEN GEM: Ever wonder how those old mills along the streams actually worked?

Last weekend, Danielle and Jonathan spent the day at the Bowmansville Roller Mill’s open house – a Lancaster County hidden gem of preservation that sits just a stone’s throw (okay, a hearty stone’s throw) from the Berk’s County line. Put together by The Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County, the open house occurs four times …

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Preservationist vs. revisionist history – is there a time and a place for both?

Since I put last month’s e-newsletter to bed (obligatory you can sign up here) yesterday morning (hey, that e-newsletter is one wild party animal on the weekends), I’ve started researching this month’s snail-mail newsletter (another obligatory you can sign up for that one here).  We’re delving into the history at Independence National Park in Philadelphia since it’s fresh …

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Trekking through Women's History with Heritage Trails

One of the more intriguing interpretative strategies we read about during our research into expanding historic preservation to include women’s history was the use of heritage trails.  By now, we are all familiar with heritage trails – those walking and driving journeys around to different historic sites that historical commissions, museums, public agency, community organizations, …

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New Lead-Paint Regulations

On Thursday, April 22nd, any contractor working on a building with lead-based paint will have to be a lead-safe certified firm. The EPA is has written guidelines to help protect homeowners from lead dust and contractors have to complete a 8 hour training course. Helping to protect homeowners is important – the downside is the …

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15 Steps to Weatherize Your Home

The November/December 2009 issue of Preservation Magazine featured an article, Getting Ready for Winter: 15 Steps to Efficiency. These tips are taken from this article. Insulate the attic (this is where the majority of your heat loss will occur – though the replacement window and door companies would have you believe it is on the …

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Building History Day at the Ephrata Cloister

On Saturday, June 6, 2009 the Ephrata Cloister hosted their Building History Day. This was a day with traditional crafts being demonstrated, speakers on the topic of historic building and the evolution of domestic architecture, and tours of the unrestored floors of the Sisters’ House. We were invited over the winter to host a seminar …

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Williamsburg

Danielle and Jonathan spent three days in Colonial Williamsburg with Jonathan’s parents Donald and Diane. The picture shows Jonathan and his dad in the stocks next to the courthouse – they quickly learned that public punishment was not very comfortable. A lot has changed in Williamsburg since Danielle and Jonathan visited Thanksgiving 2001. They are …

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