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Guest Post by David Ewing: iFarm update
Read more: Guest Post by David Ewing: iFarm updateSince 2009, the iFarm in Boxford, Massachusetts has been keeping crews from PTF busy. Christine Barensfeld, the owner of the farm, has collaborated with PTF to restore the farm which consistently operated from 1750 – 1932. Chris purchased the farm in 2009 a midst the threat of developers who would…
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New Castle Gaze Bo
Read more: New Castle Gaze BoPreservation in the field can take many forms. Most of the time, preservation is the most practical and reliable answer to a client’s needs, but there are times when pure preservation isn’t feasible, or reasonable (see Demeritt-O’Kane). The New Castle Congregational Church and gazebo offers an alternate model. The congregation…
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Explore the Mill at Freedom Falls
Read more: Explore the Mill at Freedom FallsIf you grew up in Freedom, ME you’ve probably already toured the Freedom Mill, in high school, under the cover of darkness, at risk to life and limb. At its height during the 19th century, the mill had served as an economic engine for the area, using the water power…
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Narnia of New Hampshire
Read more: Narnia of New HampshireMiddleton, NH is one of those friendly, tightly-knit communities where folks meet weekly for a potluck at the old town hall. The center of town is at a place known as Four Corners, at the intersection of Kings Highway and New Durham/Ridge Road. Our subject, the Old Town Hall, stands…
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Happy 4th!
Read more: Happy 4th!The historic nature of our work gives Independence Day special meaning for us here at PTF. Two of our recent projects will be holding special celebrations to unveil their restored buildings: July 4, 2013, New Castle Congregational Church, New Castle, NH – Parade and ribbon cutting at the New Castle…
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Abyssinian Meetinghouse listed as one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Properties
Read more: Abyssinian Meetinghouse listed as one of America’s 11 Most Endangered PropertiesLast week, the National Trust for Historic Preservation announced it’s list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Properties. The Abyssinian Meetinghouse had the dubious distinction of making it on the list. Inclusion on the list indicates the importance of the third-oldest standing African-American meetinghouse in our nation’s history, but also sheds…
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Marrett House: Magic and a Time Machine
Read more: Marrett House: Magic and a Time MachineLast week we assembled Marrett House‘s 15 foot frame and panel wall and installed it. The day felt like a mini-crane day, with shoulders instead of cranes, and a mini-rush of adrenaline. When the day was over, and we’d reversed the effects of last April’s drunken car crash, I realized that…
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Guest Post by Lee Hoagland: Castine’s First Parish Church, its History and Restoration
Read more: Guest Post by Lee Hoagland: Castine’s First Parish Church, its History and RestorationOn the northeastern side of Penobscot Bay in downeast Maine sits the town of Castine, an elegant town with a rich history. Our crew was called into town because some structural issues had been detected in its First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church. Having never visited before I was struck by…
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Marrett House Panels Cope with Dismantling
Read more: Marrett House Panels Cope with DismantlingYesterday we began the dismantling the Marrett House panels in order to repair the broken stiles and rails. Above, Shawn shows his method for extracting the pins. He drills a tiny hole through the center of the pin, then threads a screw into the hole until it just bites, and…
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Marrett House Survives the Insults of a Drunken Car Thief
Read more: Marrett House Survives the Insults of a Drunken Car ThiefA year ago last April, just after rush hour, a man stole a Suburu in Cape Elizabeth, drunk-drove it to Standish, crossed two lanes of traffic, surfed a lawn and crashed into the Marrett House, coming to rest in its historic parlor. The stout framing members were fractured and the…