Blueprint Bulletin #1: Experts Call for New Preservation Approach

"Selective reconstruction" of the areas surrounding Rosewell's window and door openings is one of the key recommendations made by architect John Mesick in his 2005 Conservation Assessment Program (CAP)report, funded by a federal grant through the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Heritage Preservation.

Mesick conducted an on-site assessment in March 2004, assisted by John Addison of Edinburgh, Scotland, a structural engineer whose specialty is historic ruins.

"There is widespread consensus among preservation professionals, that ruins should be left in an intact and untouched state with only consolidation and replacement of surviving fabric," writes Mesick. While supporting this general principle, Mesick believes that in Rosewell's specific case, building back certain strategic areas "will probably be the most rational and sound means to achieve renewal strength and halt the acceleration of decay."

Addison agrees with Mesick on this point. "The degradation at the [window and door] openings is getting a little worrying with bricks falling out, mortars eroding and cracks climbing the walls above the openings. Reinstating architectural features seems to be the only overall answer here."

Mesick outlines several detailed studies to be completed before any preservation work is undertaken, including a photogrammetric survey to record the ruin in three dimensions; an inspection by a team including a structural consultant, masons, and architect; a mortar analysis; a geotechnical investigation of the soil underlying the ruin; and archaeological testing to better understand the condition of the basement (foundation) walls. Addison also recommends a detailed survey of the interior of the chimney flues.

"I was surprised when John Mesick first started talking about rebuilding some sections of the walls," said executive director Hilarie Hicks. "But when you look at where the empty spaces are -- like the areas underneath the first-floor window openings -- and you realize how much weight is above those empty spaces, it just makes sense to shore it up. It would be a shame to eventually lose the upper parts of a wall because there wasn't enough to support it from below."

The CAP report is the basis for the comprehensive proposal presented to grant-funding sources.

THE CAP PROGRAM

When the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and Heritage Preservation awarded a Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) grant to the Rosewell Foundation in 2003, Rosewell joined the more than 2,000 museums that have participated in CAP since the program began in 1990. CAP assists museums by providing federal funds for conservation and preservation consultants to identify the needs of artifact collections and historic buildings, and to recommend ways to improve their conditions.

The CAP grant provided $7,890 toward the $8,500 cost for a general conservation survey of the Rosewell ruin and its archaeological collection. Preservation architect John Mesick of Albany, NY, and collections conservator Nancy Davis of Laurel, MD, surveyed the site in March 2004 and wrote comprehensive reports identifying preservation and conservation priorities. Both consultants have impressive resumes. Mesick has overseen restoration projects at Monticello and at Jefferson’s Poplar Forest, while Davis has conserved archaeological artifacts in private practice, and now is on staff at the National Archives. Scottish ruins expert John Addison also joined in the site survey as an adjunct member of the team.

“The CAP grant is an important first step in Rosewell’s Blueprint for Preservation plan,” explained Hicks. “We’ve based our preservation efforts on a 1980 engineering study, and we knew it was time to revisit it.”

Rosewell Gift Shop Features Books and More

The gift shop at the Rosewell Visitor Center offers a variety of books and other items related to Rosewell, the Page family, architecture, archaeology, and genealogy.

To mail-order an item, send your name, mailing address, and list of items ordered to The Rosewell Foundation, PO Box 1456, Gloucester, VA 23061. Please enclose your check payable to the Rosewell Foundation, including the shipping/handling fee for each item as indicated.

Here is a sampling of our current offerings:

"American Ruins" photography book by Arthur Drooker ($45 + $5 S/H)

"Images of America: Gloucester County" book by Sara E. Lewis ($21 + $3 S/H)

Sterling Silver Rosewell Pin (originally $45; now $39 + $4 S/H)

Rosewell Christmas ornament ($15 + $4 S/H)

Rosewell Poster ($5 + $3.50 S/H)

6-minute Rosewell video ($6 + $3 S/H)

"Genealogy of the Page Family," 1883 reprint ($35 + $3 S/H)

"Leonora and the Ghost," a Rosewell Christmas ghost story by Lucy Page Saunders ($4 + $2 S/H)

"Archaeology for Young Explorers" ($10 + $3 S/H)

"My Family Tree Workbook" ($4 + $2 S/H)

"The Pages and Rosewell" from the Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts ($10 + $3 S/H)

"Four Families of Rosewell" ($12 + $2.50 S/H)

"The Ruins of Rosewell" article from Colonial Williamsburg Journal ($2 + $2 S/H).

For further information on any items, please email information@rosewell.org or call (804)-693-2585.

Blueprint Bulletin #2: Special Technique Creates New Views of Rosewell

If a picture is worth a thousand words, Rosewell’s photogrammetry project is worth several volumes for its description of the present condition of the ruin.

Peter Aaslestad of Frazier Associates (Staunton, VA) conducted the photogrammetry project, a key component of Rosewell’s "Blueprint for Preservation." Aaslestad pioneered ways to combine two different but complementary techniques for recording buildings — photography and measured drawings — to produce “hybrid” drawings in CAD (Computer Assisted Drawing) format.

Aaslestad began his work in December 2005 by taking measurements from fixed reference points around the ruin. He spent another day on a 60-foot boom lift taking high resolution photographs of the interior and exterior surfaces of each of Rosewell’s walls. Aaslestad then used a sophisticated software program to “rectify” the photographs, essentially eliminating the distortions caused by perspective. For example, a 9-inch brick at the top of a wall would not appear to be the same size as a 9-inch brick at the bottom of a wall in an ordinary photograph, because perspective makes the more distant brick look smaller. Once the photograph is rectified, the two bricks are shown to be the same size. This means that a researcher can use the scale of the photo to calculate the height or length of any feature on the ruin.

The remarkable level of detail on the hybrid drawings provides an important benchmark for monitoring the condition of the ruin and making plans for further stabilization. “We can repeat this process in ten or fifteen years and be able to see very clearly what has changed,” said executive director Hilarie Hicks. “We’ll be able to see where we’ve made progress in stabilizing and shoring up certain areas, and if we were to lose any bricks from a storm or a falling tree, we’d see that too.”

The hybrid drawings will be invaluable to the architect, structural engineer, and other experts who will study the ruin in the next phases of "Blueprint for Preservation," with the ultimate goal of creating a long-term stabilization plan to preserve the ruin for many years to come.

Blueprint Bulletin #3: Documenting the Vaulted Cellar

While most of the walls dividing Rosewell's interior into hall, parlor, and bedchambers are long gone, there is still one room in the ruin that retains its original walls and ceiling -- the vaulted cellar room below the mansion's marble-floored great hall. This small but significant room was studied in the summer of 2006 by Peter Aaslestad (Frazier Associates of Staunton, VA), concluding the photogrammetry segment of the "Blueprint for Preservation" project.

Aaslestad began the photogrammetry process by mapping the brick surfaces of the cellar in three dimensions from fixed reference points. He then took high-resolution photographs of the cellar. Knowing the location of the reference points, Aaslestad could then use a sophisticated computer program to correct the photographs for the distortions caused by perspective. The resulting hybrid photograph, said executive director Hilarie Hicks, "is a picture of the cellar as it is, rather than as it looks."

The hybrid photos will be used by other preservation experts in upcoming phases of "Blueprint for Preservation," as they develop a long-term stabilization plant for Rosewell. The vaulted cellar is a particular preservation challenge, since rainwater seeps through the rubble and drips through the arched ceiling. The preservation team will also take archaeological, engineering, and soil studies into account before answering such questions as whether all the rubble in the cellar should be removed, and whether a viewing platform at first-floor level would adequately protect the vaulted cellar from rainwater runoff.

Funding for "Blueprint for Preservation" reached its goal in June 2006, when a long-time supporter of Rosewell donated the final $3,460 need to match the Roller-Bottimore Foundation's $50,000 challenge grant. Other funding for the $168,000 series of studies includes $45,000 from the Commonwealth of Virginia; $10,000 from the Putnam Foundation with $10,200 in matching donations from the descendants of Mann Page I; $5,000 from Dominion; and $2,000 from the Fred L. Brown Charitable Foundation.

Over 200 individuals and businesses supported "Blueprint for Preservation," and each donation counted. "We had a number of large donations, but I'd say 80% of the gifts we received were in the $10 to $100 range," Hicks said. "If any one of our donors had decided not to give, we would have lost out on the challenge grants offered to us by the Roller-Bottimore and Putnam Foundations."

Local Teachers Learn to "Ruin" Their Curriculum

While Gloucester county students enjoy a long vacation each summer, their teachers are required to spend three days in the classroom taking professional development courses. In 2007, one of the teachers' options will be a day-long class offered by Rosewell staff and volunteers. Titled "How to 'Ruin' Your Curriculum and Have Fun Doing It," the class will present Rosewell as a resource for teaching the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOLs). Nearly 40 teachers participated in the two sessions offered in July and August last year.

The morning will feature illustrated lectures on the Page family's place in Virginia history by executive director Hilarie Hicks, and on Rosewell's place in Virginia architecture by board member and architectural historian Jeff Klee. Archaeologists David Brown and Thane Harpole will present a classroom segment followed by a hands-on session of washing artifacts in the Rosewell lab. After lunch and a tour of the ruin, Hicks will present teachers with packets of primary source materials related to Rosewell. Each excerpt will be accompanied by notes to spark classroom discussion, as well as a list of relevant SOLs (see "Pages in History" below). A Boston newspaper account of a Rosewell kitchen fire, for example, can be used to teach a wide variety of concepts, including map skills, past/present comparisons, and the diversity of perspectives among landowners and slaves, men and women.

Teachers at last summer's sessions were enthusiastic. "I sometimes forget why I originally found history so interesting," emailed one teacher from Gloucester High School. "Although at some point I'm sure I'll refer to things you discussed and showed us, I most of all needed the stimulation of hearing professional historians discuss their research."

Teachers not participating in the in-service course may still obtain copies of the primary source packet by calling Hilarie Hicks at (804)693-2585 or by emailing her at rosewell@inna.net.

PAGES IN HISTORY

A Column Featuring Documentary Research on Rosewell's Early Occupants

This is an article from the Boston Evening Post, May 5, 1741:

And from Williamsburg, in Virginia, that on the 17th of February last, in the Night, Eleven Negroes belonging to Mrs. Page of Gloucester County, were burnt to Death in her Kitchen, which took Fire while they were asleep.

TEACHER NOTES FOR "A DEADLY KITCHEN FIRE AT ROSEWELL"

Danger of Kitchen Fires: In the 1700s, most cooking was done on the hearth in front of the kitchen fireplace. It was easy for sparks to pop out of an open fire while the cook was working. If the chimney was not clean or if the flue was damaged, sparks might smolder for awhile and then suddenly break out in flames, perhaps in the night when everyone was asleep. One of the reasons that many colonial homes had their kitchen in a separate building was to lessen the danger of the main house burning if a fire started in the kitchen. How do kitchen fires get started today? (Grease fires, faulty electrical wiring or appliances, candles left unattended) What safety equipment and safety rules help protect people in case of fire today? (Smoke detector, fire extinguisher, home fire drills, keep flammables away from stove) [SOLs: 2.3; VS.1.a, e; USI.1.a, b; USI.5.b; VUS.1.a]

What Were Eleven Slaves Doing in the Kitchen at Night?: Slaves often slept near the areas where they worked. Field hands generally lived in cabins away from the main house, but slaves who worked in the kitchen probably slept in the kitchen or in the loft above it. Some of the eleven slaves might have been the families of the cook and her assistants. It is also possible that other slaves who usually slept somewhere else had moved into the kitchen on a cold February night. [SOLs: 2.3; VS.1.a, e; VS.4.a; USI.1.a, b; USI.5.b, c; VUS.1.a]

Mrs. Page and Her Household: Judith Carter Page was the second wife and the widow of Mann Page I, who started building the Rosewell mansion about 1725. He died in 1730, and left the house to Mrs. Page to use for the rest of her life. The house was not completely finished at that time, so it fell to Mrs. Page, and her son Mann Page II, to oversee the rest of the construction. The house was finished about 1738. In 1741, at the time of the fire, Mrs. Page was living at Rosewell with several sons who were in their teens and twenties. What possible reactions might Mrs. Page, her sons, and the Rosewell slave community have had to the fire? How would their reactions be similar or different? (Concern for loss of life; concern for loss of property – human property as well as kitchen building; sense of responsibility for slaves’ welfare; grief over loss of family members; worry over where and how cooking would continue) [SOLs: 2.3; VS.1.a, g; VS.4.a; USI.1.a, d; USI.5.c; VUS.1.a; VUS.3.]

How News Traveled: How long did it take for the news of the Rosewell kitchen fire to arrive in Boston? (February 17 to May 4) Newspaper publishers in one colony often printed stories they had read in the newspapers of another colony, or stories that people shared from letters they had received. Letters, newspapers, and word-of-mouth information could only travel as fast as a ship or a horse and rider. Use a map to calculate the distance between Rosewell and Boston. Why would people in Boston be interested in a kitchen fire in Virginia? (Human interest, unusually high number of deaths) Do news stories of local tragedies still travel that far today? (Yes, if the story is dramatic or unusual) How fast does news travel today, and what allows such speed? (Nearly instantaneous news, thanks to live TV/satellite broadcasts, wire services, internet) [SOLs: 2.3; VS.1.a, e, i; USI.1.a, b, f; VUS.1.a]

FIELD TRIP TIE-IN: On the architectural panel in the Visitor Center, look for drawings of Rosewell showing the kitchen and office buildings on either side of the main house. Think about the kitchen as a living and working space. Find the location of the kitchen at the Rosewell site. [SOLs: 2.3; VS.1.a, e, g; VS.4.a; USI.1.a, b, d; USI.5.b, c; VUS.1.a; VUS.3]

Blueprint Bulletin #4: Preservation "Dream Team" Embarks on Rosewell Study

"How long would we like Rosewell to survive? Fifty years? Seventy-five years? Five hundred years?"

Lead architect John Mesick posed this question to a remarkable group of preservation specialists assembled at Rosewell the week of January 22, 2007. Their discussions have launched the next phase of technical studies in the "Blueprint for Preservation" project.

Each of the team members brings a perspective particularly suited to understanding Rosewell's needs. John Mesick has dealt with masonry restoration and stabilization at such significant buildings as Jefferson's Poplar Forest and Monticello, and Madison's Montpelier. Architectural historian Mark Wenger, now with Mesick's firm, also did extensive research on 18th-century buildings in his former position at Colonial Williamsburg. John Addison, a structural engineer from Edinburgh, Scotland, has devised innovative and respectful stabilization approaches for a number of ancient ruins in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including Rosslyn Chapel (of "Da Vinci Code" fame). Brickmasons Jack Peet and Lawrence "Cheetah" Waller have conducted every major stabilization project at Rosewell since the early 1980s. Archaeologists David Brown and Thane Harpole have conducted excavations at Rosewell, Fairfield, and other colonial sites. Historian Camille Wells has documented such structures as Menokin, the ruin of Francis Lightfoot Lee's home. Also participating in the meetings were two Rosewell board members -- board president Sandy Pait and architectural historian Jeff Klee -- and executive director Hilarie Hicks.

Lively roundtable discussion took place on Monday afternoon and Thursday morning, while Tuesday and Wednesday offered more quiet time for John Addison to study the ruin in greater depth.

Among the interesting options the group considered was the possible removal of some of the structural steel installed in 1980. "It does tie things together, but it may be corroding, as steel does that," Addison observed.

"If it's not helping, or is counter-productive, let's get rid of it," Wenger responded. He entertained the possibility of fitting wooden beams into the walls, recreating the pattern of flooring joists original to the building.

Coordination of the engineering and archaeology studies was a necessary part of the planning sessions. For the engineering report, Addison will need information about the condition of the foundations and the composition of the cellar rubble, which can be obtained through archaeology. Addison, Brown, and Harpole will collaborate to select a test unit location that has the greatest potential to yield useful information. Addison pointed out that once the site is selected, but prior to excavation, the nearby chimney stacks should be inspected from a lift so that any loose bricks can be secured, to insure a safe working area for the archaeologists.

The roundtable sessions provided a forum for team members to identify many such areas where they will depend on each other's work. Architect Mesick expressed the need for a compendium of historic photographs of the building; this will be one of the tasks undertaken by historian Wells. Engineer Addison will need information about past masonry stabilization projects, which masons Peet and Waller can provide from their photos, as well as from memory.

What happens next? After Addison's preliminary engineering report is received, the scope of the archaeology will be determined. The archaeological investigations are tentatively slated for April or May, with the primary historical research also taking place in the spring. "Once we have these initial reports, we'll see what other questions have come up, and what additional studies we might need," Hicks said. "It's a little like exploratory surgery -- you don't really know what needs to be done until you get underway."

All of the "Blueprint" team members were enthusiastic about the options for Rosewell's preservation, and were excited about the prospect of working together in the coming months. Camille Wells said how much she had enjoyed the meeting, "especially listening to John Addison talk about ruin conservation. How lucky we are to have him -- and John Mesick, Mark Wenger, Jack Peet ... well, just everybody!" The Rosewell Foundation couldn't agree more.

Blueprint Bulletin #5: Dig Reveals Cellar Foundations, Glimpses of 1916

Not since March 24, 1916, had anyone set foot on the northwest corner of Rosewell's cellar floor. It was early that morning that fire blazed through the interior of what had once been the grandest mansion in colonial Virginia. As the fire gutted the building, the roof collapsed, and the contents of three floors plunged to the cellar. While the owners may have retrieved a few possesions that were within easy reach, the cellar remained otherwise undisturbed, a time capsule of 1916.

On April 9, 2007, the time capsule began to offer up its secrets, as archaeologists from DATA Investigations excavated a 10'x15' unit in the northwest corner of the cellar. As a component of the "Blueprint for Preservation" study, the excavation was designed to expose the mansion's foundations and to determine what kinds of materials make up the cellar rubble. Not only did the excavation achieve these goals, but it also opened a window onto daily life at Rosewell in its last years.

Before the archaeologists could reach 1916, however, they had to remove three to six feet of brick rubble and post-fire artifacts. A 1978 Gloucester High School class ring, a Pentecostal Sunday school pin, and a number of beer bottles all provided evidence of the ruin's appeal to a variety of curiosity-seekers.

Below the brick layer was a thin layer of topsoil, and below the topsoil were pieces of Rosewell's metal roof. (The accumulated topsoil shows that a number of years had passed between 1916, when the roof fell in, and the time that the nearby wall section collapsed.) The final layer consisted of ash interspersed with whatever household articles had failed to completely burn. "It give a whole new meaning to the phrase 'burnt to the ground" -- that three floors of a house could be reduced to just about a foot of ash," archaeologist Meredith Mahoney reflected. Below the ash layer were the remains of a brick floor.

A large number of the artifacts found in this corner of the cellar were related to cooking, including iron spoons, a cooking fork, a spatula, pots and pans, the raised seal of a glass olive oil bottle, half a tea strainer, and a muffin tin. These artifacts suggest that by the early 1900s, after the kitchen building disappeared, cooking tasks had moved to the northwest room of the mansion's cellar and/or first floor. (Wray Page said that his father recalled a kitchen in the northwest room of Rosewell's first floor from his visits there.) Also found were parts of two or three cast-iron stoves which could have been used for cooking or heating on different floors.

If the northwest room on the lower floor or floors contained a kitchen, other artifacts found in the cellar must have fallen in from bedrooms or storage rooms on upper floors. These include pieces of a metal bed frame with tiny coils of wire still attached, and a fragment of rose-decorated ceramic which could have been part of a dresser set.

The excavation ended in June; DATA Investigations is now preparing its final report.

Explore "Secret Gardens" on May 10 Tour

Four home gardeners in Gloucester and Mathews will welcome visitors into their private gardens on Saturday, May 10, 2008, for the Rosewell Foundation's "Secret Gardens Tour." As the name of the tour suggests, these gardens are undiscovered gems, most of which have never been featured on a public garden tour. The tour ticket also includes admission to Rosewell, where light refreshments will be served at the Visitor Center.

Tickets for the "Secret Gardens Tour" are $12 if purchased by May 7. Advance tickets may be ordered by mail or purchased at select local businesses. Tickets may also be purchased for $15 on the day of the tour, at the Rosewell Visitor Center or at any of the gardens. Please note that no tickets will be sold for individual gardens.

As you drive from one garden to another, you'll see landscapes in a variety of styles, filled with inspiration for novices and green thumbs alike. See how Arlene Tucker transformed a small corner lot into a charming English cottage garden overflowing with flowers. Stroll through Jim and Pam Brant's shady rhododendron garden and enjoy the azaleas. Stop and smell the roses -- and the herbs -- at Mary and Mike Newhouse's garden, and enjoy the view of the Piankatank from their riverside gazebo. Then take a path through the woods to the neighbors', Pam and Skip Driggs, to wander through their shrub garden with its raised terraces.

Here are a few "secrets" to make your tour more enjoyable: Be sure to wear comfortable shoes, and be prepared for uneven terrain. Feel free to visit the gardens in any order. To conserve parking, please carpool if possible.

To order advance tickets by mail, send your name, address, and telephone number, number of tickets @$12 each, and your check to the Rosewell Foundation, PO Box 1456, Gloucester, VA 23061. Advance-price orders must be received by May 7. Tickets are non-refundable.

The Rosewell Foundation would like to thank the sponsors of the "Secret Gardens Tour:"

Garden Sponsor ($500): BB&T Bank

Blossom Sponsors ($250): Colonial Virginia Bank, Chesapeake Bank, Brad's Tree Service

Seedling sponsor ($100+): Teri Groh/Select Properties, William Ouzts/Davenport & Company, WXGM AM/FM, W. Birch Douglass III.

Proceeds from the "Secret Gardens Tour" will help to defray the operating expenses of the Rosewell Foundation as it pursues its mission of preserving, studying, and presenting Rosewell to the public.

Blueprint Bulletin #6: Still Digging Up the Past

Archaeologists from DATA Investigations excavated two intriguing areas of the Rosewell ruin in the fall and winter of 2007-08. Since the earlier spring-summer dig in 2007 had focused on the northwest corner of the cellar, revealing the interior side of the west foundation wall, this project looked at the corresponding exterior side of the west foundation. A trench was also dug over the top of the vaulted cellar room to evaluate its condition.

The excavation revealed that the foundation wall and the vaulted cellar seem to be in excellent condition below ground level. This was good news to the "Blueprint for Preservation" team, which can focus on other critical action areas in its forthcoming stabilization plan.

Aside from assessing condition, the project also revealed unexpected information about Rosewell's construction. "The builder's trench for Rosewell, at least in this corner, was massive," explained archaeologist Thane Harpole in the excavation report. "Rather than following the outline of the foundation, it appears that a huge hole was excavated stretching over six feet beyond the wall ... Presumably to simplify the excavation process, and perhaps extract more brick-making clay in the process, the workers dug a huge rectangle, and then laid the walls within this."

Another surprise was a section of brick wall leading away from the building. For decades architectural historians have wondered whether the main Rosewell building was connected to its two flanking outbuildings. It appeared that connecting "hyphens" had at least been planned, since a pattern of missing bricks (called "racking") on the sides of the mansion indicated where the walls of the hyphens would have been connected. But there was still no clear evidence as to whether the hyphens had been built -- until this excavation revealed a new possibility.

A small section of wall was found leading away from the main building. Mortar residue going up the mansion wall shows that this wall stood at least six feet high. Although it doesn't line up with the racking, this wall may represent a simplified "Plan B" -- to connect the mansion to the outbuildings with single curved walls, rather than with functional (and more expensive) walk-through hyphens.

As for the trench over the top of the cellar vault, this excavation revealed patches of the original mortar wash still in place, and also uncovered a collection of objects that had fallen from upper floors as the 1916 fire raged: a golf club, an iron bed frame, a hanging lamp or chandelier, and a cast-iron hat rack. The lamp and hat rack were found not far from their original positions as shown in a pre-1916 photograph of Rosewell's great hall.

Only a small area of the cellar and foundations have been excavated. Future projects will undoubtedly offer more glimpses of the history sealed inside Rosewell's rubble.