Built in 1828, the Abyssinian Meetinghouse is the third oldest African American meetinghouse in the country. PTF was fortunate to join the restoration project in 2005, removing the tenement apartments inside, and repairing the king post truss frame. In 2010, we rebuilt the cornice, and completed the roof and basement phases. In October 2010, archaeologists dug around the…
We’ve begun work on the Abyssinian Meetinghouse again. Last week, archaeologists dug test pits in the basement and driveway, while we worked on cutting a new front sill. After years of damage, no part of the original front sill could be saved. Click on the photos below for a complete description.
Over the last month, our Damariscotta crew has been busy. We completed the frieze, fascia, crown and bed moldings. We helped to install the clock, assembling the clock faces and carefully attuning the clapper and its mechanisms to the bell. Lastly, we cleaned up and hauled out, leaving the site a real sight. Click on…
We’re building the roof that will link the belfry and clock tower, while the local media is covering the crane day, and the steeple’s connection to the community. Christine Parrish of The Free Press wrote one of the best articles I’ve read, she really focuses on the joinery and construction history: Shawn Perry, of Preservation…
A selection of photos from yesterday’s crane event. Click on the photo to read a description and visit our Flickr page to see more.
The crane arrived today. Tomorrow, it will lift the new belfry, bell and spire onto the clock tower . Keeley, the crane operators, will be using the same crane and lifting from the back parking lot again, with a lot more weight in the trunk. As the spire has been rigged since last week (we…
New England is peppered with antique barns in various states of disrepair, and saving them is central to our mission. Timber-framed barns are icons of the New England landscape. They connect us to our agrarian and architectural history and contain centuries of embodied energy. But many other books, such as Field Guide to New England…
Click on an image to read its description.
No leaks despite four inches of rain.