| Angela Sapp, a recently retired art teacher from Marietta, Georgia, traveled to HCN’s 2007 Virginia City workshop. Here is her enthusiastic account of her remarkable week.
Participating in the Historic Finishes of the Old West workshop in Virginia City, Montana, was an education, an adventure and a lot of fun. Everywhere we looked we saw a scene from long ago. We had lots of questions: How did a whole town survive from the 1860's? How was it going to be preserved? Where would we start? As we walked along the main street, we saw stores open to the public, but also stores with only the original antique items in their windows and shelves. Continuing down the main street were a dentist, a hotel, a theater, even a court house and brewery and everything you could imagine in an old mining town. It looked real! It was real!
Virginia City is located along the main highway to Yellowstone Park; the entire town had been purchased by Charlie Bovie around 1940, when urban renewal and historic preservation were just emerging. He saw the potential and did his best to stabilize structures. Buildings were in their original locations and in most every case still had what was left of their original exterior finishes.
We had a gathering of preservation experts, including our gifted leader, Jeff MacDonald, of the Montana Heritage Commission, his staff, others from many different states, and one from Northern Cyprus! The rest of us were of various backgrounds, including a marine engineer, teachers, a high school student, and a few preservation professionals. As participants, we discovered many talents that we didn’t know we had. The youngest showed an artistic eye in finishing four doors in the style of the time: a painting technique to resemble the grain of more exotic woods than the pine they were able to find in their part of Montana.
Our first day included learning more about the history of Virginia City and how the gold discovery brought such a large number of people there so quickly, how materials  were found for construction, and why there were several architectural styles in the town. We viewed layers of previous interior and exterior finishes and learned that keeping out the cold winter wind was foremost on every settler's mind. Finding newspapers with legible dates in the walls and floors gave our research teams exact dates for when particular treatments had been completed.
On our tour we saw sod roofs, log siding, plank siding, rock structures, bricks and even a building covered in flattened oil cans. We observed several white washed and mud-surfaced walls and were introduced to a number of finishing recipes. We were shown experiments such as "daubing treatments" on walls to show how climate variables would effect an area over time. Jeff explained that experts suggest using the most gentle, natural and reversible finishes when working in restoration. We also learned that many people in the restoration field will leave glass-covered "windows" so previous layers from the past can be viewed while the rest of the surface is treated.
Day two began on our worksite with a discussion about its structure and finishes. Our “assignment” was the Dr. Daems-Corbett residence, which is two separate dwellings that had been combined to make a larger residence. The Dr. Daems residence was moved into place circa1875 and is one of the oldest stick frame dwellings in Virginia City, and thus likely the state. It was once appointed with all the finery of the period due to the Belgian and French pedigree of the Dr. and Mrs. Daems. The other part of the structure, the Corbett residence (named for the designer of the town plat), was originally constructed as a one-room log cabin but evolved and expanded through out the 19th century to include multiple additions, some of which still exist. The intent for the Corbett residence was to restore it to the most common era of appearance, which was the turn of the 20th century.
The Montana Heritage Commission’s goal for the Dr. Daems portion was to preserve and restore the palette of the late 19th century throughout and complement the interior with period furnishings from among the state  collection. Most of the interior finishes had been completed before we arrived, so the exterior possibilities were discussed. At that point, we were ready to get to work! Before we began, Jeff gave helpful instructions in brush holding and loading. With scaffolding in place, many of us watched the creation of the white wash mix from lime and water, then sprayed a light mist of water on the old bare wood and painted the first of many layers of white wash. We used large natural bristle brushes to apply the white wash directly to the raw untreated surface (wood, brick, masonry) for optimum penetration. We had to apply many thin layers in order to achieve a built up mineral coating, as opposed to traditional paints and varnishes which create a film surface. Fortunately the white wash cured quickly, allowing us to get on with our work. Walls that were to receive an oil-based top coat received primer. Interestingly enough, after two months a primed surface can still be slightly tacky, even though Virginia City has some of the drier climate in the country. Linseed oil-based finishes can take years to fully cure in some conditions, which we saw firsthand. We got a tremendous amount completed - what a group effort!
Day three started with Jeff teaching us about wood graining, the faux finish mentioned before. Jeff's demonstrations showed us how to experiment with  different combs and tools in a thin glaze of pigment. Practicing on scrap wood helped many gain the courage to try it on an entire door or doors. Others on the team continued with more layers of white wash and more primer. Another group started painting the siding with a sienna earth pigment finish that Jeff mixed with linseed oil. It resulted in a very warm marigold color. In the late afternoon we toured the church that was next door to our work site. It, too, is in great need of repair, and at the present time is being used for storage.
Thursday was a continuation of day three. We had more earth pigment to mix and apply, more white washing, more doors, more everything! Several visitors viewed our progress including a reporter from a local newspaper and a professor who interviewed the teachers about planning lessons at the site.
Our last day was very surprising - I woke up very early to the loud sounds of many cows mooing! What a sound! A cattle drive was just outside our cabin! This was not a few cows! There were hundreds walking several head side to side, even the calves, all going down the road as far as you could see! Scattered along were the cowboys and cowgirls on horseback. About an hour later I saw and heard them disappear over a distant hill into new pasture.
Later in the morning Jeff led our workshop group on a tour of Nevada City, only 1 1/2 miles away. This historical town has about 50 old buildings, but in contrast to Virginia City, many of these had been moved there from other locations. Homes, stores, barns and a huge collection of wheeled vehicles (such as old tractors, buggies, fire engines, etc.) were everywhere. Some buildings were filled with original items like the blacksmith shop, a saddle shop, and a Chinese store and laundry. A large museum with early coin-operated machines including calliopes, stereoscopes, strength challenges, and fortune tellers captured everyone's interest.
A highlight for our last day was a delicious feast prepared by Jeff and crew! We left our new friends with large notebooks that are an ideal reference for investigating and solving various problems found in historical buildings. Included are pages of authentic recipes for finishes from the 1800's and how to formulate them today.
Don't miss Virginia City and Nevada City! Bring your camera! You'll find a unique trip into the past! The workshop was unforgettable, but in addition to it I'll always remember viewing the exquisite mountain scenery, panning for gold and garnets, watching theatrical and vaudeville-style shows, and enjoying some great food! And, there were no mosquitoes!
Angela Sapp, MAED
Art Educator
Marietta, Georgia
|
