2008 Conferences

17th Annual TTRAG Symposium

March 14-16, 2008
Shepherdstown, West Virginia

The Guild’s Traditional Timberframe Research and Advisory Group (TTRAG) will hold this year’s TTRAG symposium at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Conservation Training Center (NCTC). Completed in 1997, this beautiful 538-acre wooded campus is located on the south bank of the Potomac River.

This year’s Conference program will take advantage of our location in the heart of one of the most historic landscapes in the country. NCTC architecture is modeled after local farm buildings, including the 200-year-old Hendrix Farm still on the site. The modern pedestrian-friendly campus includes footbridges through hardwood forest connecting the lodges and classrooms with the Commons social center. This includes a dining room, pub, library and living room featuring historical artifacts and photographs commemorating the work of such conservationists as Rachel Carson, Aldo Leopold and "Ding" Darling.

Trails through the woods lead one down to the river where a canoeist would think he is a world away from the city. We held the 2003 TTRAG Conference at this location, and everyone remembers the wonderful food, excellent state-of-the art facility, and very affordable price (your tax dollars at work!).

Barns to View on the Bus Tour Hendrick Barn Hendrix Barn dated late 19th century. Snyder Barn dated Nov. 20, 1849. Aspen Pool Barn Boideston Double Crib Barn Link Barn dated 1844.

Schedule We will begin the conference with an optional bus tour Friday morning at 9:00 AM; the tour is limited to 55 people. The fee for the bus tour is $65, and you should bring your own lunch. Doug Reed (a 35-year practitioner, consultant, and author in the restoration field) and area historian John Allen will lead us to six 19th century barns in the area, including a unique double crib log barn and the NCTC’s own Hendrix Barn that was part of the original farmstead from which the Center was formed. (Photo credit: Doug Reed) We will return to the NCTC in late afternoon to check in to our rooms and join others attending the Conference. After dinner we will have presentations to kick off the Conference, with more seminars all day Saturday and Sunday morning. The Conference will conclude with lunch on Sunday. Presenters Conference presentations tentatively include: Historian John Allen will open the symposium with an orientation to the region we are visiting and an examination of its historic houses, barns and buildings. He is the chairman of the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission and is writing a book on early houses of the area. Masonry specialists Chris Robinson and Moss Rudley from the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Training Center (Frederick, MD) will show how to evaluate, stabilize and repair masonry foundations for timber framed buildings. Chris Robinson is Supervisory Exhibits Specialist and on the Training and development staff at the Historic Preservation Training Center. Moss Rudley was born in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, and raised on a working cattle farm, which contained numerous historic vernacular structures that required constant maintenance. His main exposure in the preservation field was in the care of hand-hewn log structures of Scotts-Irish and German notching and construction techniques. During those years he had the opportunity to dismantle, repair and reconstruct numerous log structures and their masonry features with his father. He attended Shepherd College in Shepherdstown, West Virginia and received degrees in Business, Civil Engineering and Culinary Arts. Having lived in numerous historic homes during college and experience at home, upon graduation he pursued a career in Historic Preservation. He began working for a local preservation contractor who introduced him to the more technical and modern practices in the field. He then joined the Historic Preservation Training Center in 2000 as a craftsperson and became interested in the technical and practical parts project leadership. He entered into the Exhibits Specialist training program in 2004 assigned to the Masonry Division. During his assignments he tries to bring practical experiences and inventive thought to solving preservation problems that arise during field projects.

• Doug Reed of Preservation Associates, Inc. (Hagerstown, MD), will present "Architectural Forensics: Using Organization, Science and Technology in the Study of Timber Frame Historic Structures." He will describe how to track initial construction, changes and bring known dateable techniques and materials into determining the age of the building.
• Dave Fischetti (PE, DCF Engineering) will examine the structural issues associated with timber frame repairs. A proper preservation philosophy requires that repairs to timber frame structures respect the work of the original framer. Through observation, measurement, testing, and analysis, the structural engineer must select and design a repair that is appropriate to the task. This presentation will focus on the decision to repair or replace, and how the design is communicated to owner, architect, and general contractor. It is important to persuade them that craftspersons with specific skills are required as well as materials that may not be readily available. Temporary shoring and bracing, and solutions ranging from modern to traditional connections and materials will be presented.
  
  Dave Fischetti is responsible for more than 100 structures designed annually, and is internationally known in the field of historic preservation and conservation engineering. His diverse projects include covered bridges, churches and moving the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. He was a contributor to the Guild’s recent book Historic American Roof Trusses.
• Jan Lewandoski and Arron Sturgis will explore church steeples in their joint presentation. Jan will discuss recent research into steeple construction and repair and his study of the 17th century drawings of Christopher Wren, who had such a major influence on design in the New World. Arron will reveal strategies to get a congregation to buy into the renovations of their church.
• Brian Phoebus from the National Trust Insurance Services will explain the process of insuring historic buildings and look at issues such as replacement value versus market value.
• Michael Burrey, Brian Pfeiffer and Pen Austin will lead a Saturday all-afternoon demonstration on the history and use of lime mortars and plasters in building repairs.
  
  Brian Pfeiffer is an architectural historian who serves as a consultant for the documentation and repair of historic buildings throughout New England. He also serves as a project manager for preservation projects and is currently completing the repair of an 18th century timber frame cottage on Nantucket using traditional timber-frame joinery, clay mortars and lime plasters. In addition to private clients, Brian Pfeiffer teaches at the Boston Architectural College and serves as a consultant to the Nantucket Preservation Trust, Preservation Massachusetts, Inc. and Harvard University. From 1987 to 1998, he was a staff member at the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities where he served as the director of the organization's preservation restriction program and as Vice President for Conservation and Preservation Services. Mr. Pfeiffer is immediate past president of the Shirley-Eustis House Association in Roxbury, Massachusetts and a member of the Central Committee of the International Building Limes Forum; he has been a guest lecturer on New England architecture for the Irish Georgian Society, the National Trust for Scotland, and the Institute of Advanced Architectural Studies in York, England.
  
  Pen Austin studied architectural conservation in England where she also received advanced training in plastering and became the second woman to be admitted to The Worshipful Company of Plaisterers in its four hundred year history. In addition to her work on Nantucket, Pen has conserved plasterwork on prominent buildings in the UK such as Hardwick Hall and Badminton House.
  
  Michael Burrey is a restoration carpenter specializing in traditional building techniques. He formerly worked at Plimoth Plantation and is multi-talented in many trades, including timber framing, pottery, thatch and masonry. The afternoon will conclude with a hands-on opportunity for participants to work with the materials - a handy skill to know if one works in historic structures.
• Tom Cundiff was an instructor at the Guild's recent Mill Analysis and Design Workshop at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton, Virginia, and wowed everyone with his ability to quickly translate on-site the mill survey and dimensions into a three-dimensional computer model. Tom will show us one program he uses and describe the procedures and features common to all such tools for producing survey drawings.
• Dean Fitzgerald, the founder and president of Fitzgerald’s Heavy Timber Construction Inc., will give a presentation and lead an open exchange of ideas regarding the many methods used to safely rig and lift an old building for relocation or major foundation and structural repairs. He will also discuss and illustrate methods of rigging a timber frame for the replacement of deteriorated or otherwise unacceptable timbers from bottom sills, summer beams, posts, top sills and rafters. Many factors, from water and termites to rot and neglect, take their toll on timbers and restoration specialists often have to repair or replace these damaged timbers. Rigging the building to make the repairs is often the largest part of the cost. Find out how Dean and his craftsmen plan, bid, rig and lift the buildings on which they work. See their techniques and share some of your own as Dean leads the talk with lots of images, a little equipment and 15 years of experience in this field.
• Brian Cox received his Master’s degree from Columbia University in Historic Preservation and will show his research into the effectiveness of liquid-based wood preservatives and treatments. He will cover the use of borate treatments and their long-term effectiveness - how they are applied in the field versus the specifications and how well they perform in the real world.
• Lisa Mroszczyk will present her research into identifying and cataloguing the typologies of more than 300 barns in mid-Maryland, and will be joined by Mark Schara (architect for the Historic American Buildings Survey) and Keven Walker (Cultural Resources expert from the National Park Service) who will show their methods for documentation and recommended restoration techniques. Lisa’s work was done for the Historic American Buildings Survey as part of the Sally Kress Tompkins Fellowship that was awarded by the Society of Architectural Historians.

A detailed schedule will be included with your confirmation packet.

Other Attractions

On Saturday evening we will include the annual slide show, and everyone is encouraged to bring ten images of their work related to traditional timber framing. Emcee Joel McCarty will include guidelines in your Conference confirmation material for submitting your slides or digital photos.

Summer Beam Books will be bringing their extensive bookstore including hard-to-find titles and timber framing books, as well as those authored by our presenters.

Hotel & Meals

Rooms and meals at the TTRAG Conference are NOT included with your Conference fee. If you want to stay at the Center, you will pay these fees directly to the NCTC and you may secure your room with a credit card. Rooms are single occupancy with bath. A very limited number of doubles and cots may be able to be reserved if you want to share a room and save money; be sure to request them when you make your reservation. To reserve your room, please call Hotel Reservations at 304-876-7900 or 877-706-NCTC.

Room and board costs are $238 for Friday dinner through Sunday lunch, single occupancy, and the meals are excellent and plentiful. Room costs are $78/night single or double and meals are $41/person/day. If you want to stay off-site (the nearest other hotel is 4 miles away in Shepherdstown), you may pay for meals à la carte but you must register as a commuter on the form. That is so we get an accurate head count and so you can get on site. Because this is a U.S. government facility, pre-registration is required. You will not be allowed through the security gate without being on the list or having a name badge. Name badges will also indicate the meal plan. Register here.

Those going on the bus tour will not be able to check into your rooms until after the tour. However, we will be able to meet in the parking lot and leave our cars during the tour. Details and a map will be sent with your confirmation. A list of recommended hotels in the Shepherdstown area will be included if you need to arrive the night before.