“The past is not the property of historians; it is a public possession. It belongs to anyone who is aware of it, and it grows by being shared. It sustains the whole society, which always needs the identity that only the past can give.” – William J. Murtagh You might have guessed by now, but we’re passionate …
We’ve added Big Spring Farm to our Hidden Gem list for a good reason. With no website, no official or regular hours, no main contact information, no obvious advertisements, and yet huge preservation efforts and achievements – Big Spring Farm may very well be our most hidden gem of all. Somewhere around 5am Saturday morning, …
Do you know the architectural styles of Pennsylvania? The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission has an excellent field guide on the architectural styles found in Pennsylvania. In it, they’ve assigned key periods of development (listed below) – from the Colonial period in the 18th Century to the …
Protect Historic Masonry Buildings from Permanent Damage Caused by Portland Mortar Historic masonry buildings are very different from modern buildings. Historic bricks were fired at lower temperatures and are much softer and more permeable than modern bricks. Historic buildings constructed with these softer bricks were designed to absorb moisture and then release it. A key …
Portland is a great place for a getaway….not so great for historic buildings. Read More »
Sometimes preservation takes you on new, surprising paths… Yes, we have kitchens on the brain thanks to a recent custom kitchen project (that turned out to be good fodder for some really cool pictures of our millwork process, so you get to ogle them). The traditional approach to creating a custom kitchen is one we …
This post is by our Guest Blogger House Crazy Sarah. It was originally posted on her website, www.house-crazy.com. She’s writing about Shotgun Houses – an architectural style most commonly found in the Southern states, but she does reference a few examples found North of the Mason Dixon line. I searched a bit for examples …
Kitchens are more than just a place to cook our food. They are usually one of the main family living areas where we gather, commune, play, break bread with family and friends, and sometimes even work with laptop and files plopped on the table so we are sure to stay abreast of all the …
Soapstone is a traditional material that’s been in use for thousands of years and is often found in early Colonial American homes. The soft, metamorphic stone material, favored for its ability to withstand and retain heat, was used for fireplaces, hearths, cooking slabs, and water basins. It still is today, thanks to Bucks County Soapstone. …
Bucks County Soapstone: Continuing Thousands of Years of Timelessness Read More »
Exciting news just in….from Preservation Pennsylvania: Historic Tax Credit Established in Pennsylvania On Saturday, June 30, Pennsylvania became the 30th state in the country to have a state historic tax credit when Governor Tom Corbett signed the FY 2013 Commonwealth Budget and established the Historic Preservation Incentive Act. (Click on the link to read an …
You hire Reserections. If you want to have any hope of actually moving the castle a thousand miles (without the post office, the moving company, and the airlines losing a few packages and offering you a complimentary Starbucks to say “Sorry!”). Based in Ohio, Reserections specializes in documenting, marketing, and disassembling architecturally unique historical homes. …
How do you move an 1800's stone castle from Ohio to Texas? Read More »
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