U.S. President John F. Kennedy, right, and Democratic congressional leaders watch the Atlas rocket and the newly-manned Mercury spacecraft blast off at Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a television set in the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 20, 1962. From left are, Rep. Hale Boggs, Louisiana; House Speaker John McCormack, Massachusetts, partially hidden; Rep. … Read more
Chattanooga has been a crossroads where some of the most crucial intersections of the nation’s history have met. It is here where the first steps on the Trail of Tears were taken, it was here that a railroad transportation revolution linked the interior of the continent with the coast. It was here that the Civil … Read more
Cover of the groundbreaking report, With Heritage So Rich, published in January 1966. An important anniversary will occur in the fall of 2013 that will likely get little attention. Fifty years ago this year the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Colonial Williamsburg sponsored a national conference on preservation at Williamsburg. This was meant to … Read more
We in preservation too often fail at getting our message before a national audience of potential supporters. You have to imagine our sense of satisfaction seeing this excellent video courtesy of the Arbor Day Foundation. Breaking it down a bit – here is what worked well in this video. 1. “We cherish their beauty, we … Read more
This panel from the Historic Charleston Foundation shows how Drayton Hall derived its inspiration from an original illustration by Palladio. Drayton Hall was simplified to a five-room plan from the seven-rooms as originally designed. This was an adaptation to the limited needs and resources of colonial builders. The decision to preserve Drayton Hall in situ, … Read more
Walking along the water one quickly gets the sense of the close connection Charleston has with the coast and ocean waterways. The Old Exchange is among many landmark quality buildings that give Charleston its distinctive character. As we walked through Charleston what was lacking in street level activity, was made up for in architectural detailing … Read more
We started our day simply enough at Back in the Day Bakery. This oasis of deliciousness is slightly off the beaten path. It was well worth the drive up to 40th and Bull Street and scrambling a bit to get a parking spot. We had two Muffins, a Biscone, and Savory Ham & Cheese puff … Read more
This is the first Mother’s Day in our new home, though hardly the first ever celebrated here. We are fortunate to know some things about the family that resided here for several decades. Opal Blackard was the matron of the house. She lived here for several decades prior to hear death on June 2, 2012 … Read more
The fireplace in the Living Room was our first wood stripping project. We used a commercial stripping product to get the paint off. Our first attempt using foam brushes to apply the stripping agent was only partially successful. The stripping agent ate through the foam brush fairly quickly. A standard paint brush ended up working … Read more
We were so emboldened by our progress removing paneling in the Sun Room, that we expanded our efforts to the attached Study as well. The paneling there had some major cracks and just didn’t look right to our eye. So we took down one sheet after another until all of the walls were exposed. It … Read more