Jonesboro, Illinois - January 22, 2007 Heritage Conservation Network has selected the Kornthal Parsonage as the site of a hands-on building conservation workshop to be held in July 2007. During the workshop, Bill Black, Jr., a conservation contractor from Paducah, Kentucky, will lead workshop participants in preservation work at the stately Queen Anne style building in Jonesboro. Anyone interested in preserving the history of Southern Illinois is welcome to participate.

The circa 1905 Kornthal Parsonage and the associated Kornthal Church (built 1860) were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The continued care and maintenance of both structures has been nothing less than an act of devotion by Linda and Duane Hileman and the Kornthal Union County Memorial, Inc. They received a grant two years ago for restoration of the Kornthal Church, but until recently, work at the parsonage has been put on hold.

During the workshop, participants will repair the distinctive porch, replace deteriorated clapboard siding, and make window and foundation repairs. The lists of tasks to be done is extensive, and the more people who participate, the more work can be accomplished in the two-week period. No experience is necessary, as training will be provided; participants can attend for one or two weeks, and local volunteers are needed in all kinds of roles. Complete details about the workshop, scheduled for July 15-28, 2007, and how to participate can be found on HCN’s website at www.heritageconservation.net/ws-kornthal.htm.

The workshop will also involve students from the School of Architecture - Southern Illinois University at Carbondale’s Preservation Summer program. The program, led by Associate Professor and Architect Robert Swenson, focuses on a different historic structure in the region each year. Students will be documenting the parsonage, preparing measured drawings, and preparing the site for the workshop. Prof. Swenson is familiar with the building from his work in the region and it was he who proposed it as a workshop site.

HCN has been organizing hands-on building conservation workshops in cooperation with local preservation initiatives since 2002. Among other projects, HCN volunteers have brought a grist mill in North Carolina back from the brink of collapse and just last fall completely restored a historic masonry bridge in Pennsylvania.

Community support is critical to the success of the project. Donations of building materials and supplies and meals for the work crews are needed. If you or your business would like to contribute to the effort, please contact Duane Hileman at 618 833 8745 or Judith Broeker, HCN’s Program Director, at 303 444 0128.

About HCN
Heritage Conservation Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of architectural heritage around the world. HCN produces an annual series of hands-on building conservation workshops in association with local preservation partners in order to further the sites’ preservation and provide an educational experience for participants.