Virginia City, Montana - January 29, 2007 Fragments of the past will come alive in Virginia City this summer as participants in a hands-on workshop investigate historic finishes on some of the town’s most intriguing buildings. The one-week workshop, to be held July 9-13, is an opportunity for anyone interested in researching or restoring old homes to learn about historic interior and exterior finish materials, including lime-based coatings, paints, varnishes and decorative treatments. The workshop is being produced jointly by Heritage Conservation Network and the Virginia City Institute for Preservation Research and Technology.

Virginia City has some outstanding examples of high style finishes rarely seen among the typically hastily built structures of western mining towns. Several buildings, including the stone Solomon Content Building (c.1864) and the wood frame Goldberg-McGovern Store and residence (c.1863), will serve as the working laboratory.

This is the second summer the two organizations have collaborated on research efforts in the nearly intact 19th century gold rush boom town. In 2006, participants documented conditions at the H. S. Gilbert House, built circa 1863. “It was a time of great discovery for the participants,” says Jeff McDonald, head of the Institute and leader of the workshops, and everyone made a significant contribution to the site’s preservation. “The Gilbert House is arguably the most endangered historic structure among the state holdings, and we were able to more effectively determine the extent of deterioration, building materials, and options for stabilization by way of the documentation workshop.”

Virginia City is owned by the State of Montana and managed by the Montana Heritage Commission, which is working to promote and preserve the site. Heritage Conservation Network, headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, specializes in recruiting volunteer preservationists who spend a week or more at a workshop site. Volunteers contribute to the survival of the historic buildings and gain knowledge and hands-on experience related to preservation; they also enjoy an immensely gratifying volunteer experience.

For more information about the workshop, contact Heritage Conservation Network at 303 444 0128 or via email at workshops@heritageconservation.net. Full workshop details and registration information are available from the HCN website at www.heritageconservation.net/ws-virginia-city-2007.htm.