Mending Wall

A section of our 220+ year old dry stone wall fell down last November (not to be confused with the modern stone wall that was taken out by a Range Rover in December). We'd been expecting problems with that section of the wall, built by William Croghan as a retaining wall on the south and west of his mansion house. It had developed a lean to the west, pushed out  by the roots of an ill-sited tree. 

Now the tree has been removed, the stump ground out, and wall repairs have commenced, on this bizarre warm and sunny January day. Master stonemason Neil Rippingale is here rebuilding the wall from the base up, using no-mortar techniques that have been honed over centuries. It will take a few days to repair. The rest of the wall needs some attention too, and we plan to continue the work of maintenance and repair over the next several years.

Confessions of a Costumed Interpreter

One of our young costumed interpreters, Clare Egan, has written a post about her experiences on the blog of the Kentucky Historical Society - it's right here: http://www.historyburgoo.com/historyburgoo/2012/01/index.html# . Congratulations, Clare!

SUV vs. Sign = a mess

Last week an SUV skidded on Blankenbaker Lane next to our driveway, and the resulting crash was not good for our main entrance sign. Fortunately no one was seriously injured, but much of the stone base for the sign, constructed five years ago, is now halfway down the hill towards River Road. The sign itself is bent a little, and the "cust" fell off  the logo on one side. Our staff was able to force the sign back into position, so people can still find the entrance. The sign's installers and stone masons are offering estimates, insurance will cover it, but in the meantime the entrance to Locust Grove looks sad. We'll try to get it fixed as fast as possible. Visitors don't seem to be deterred.

Take care on Blankenbaker Lane, people! Winter is coming, respect the road!

New Americans

Today the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky met here at Locust Grove, for the purpose of swearing in 73 new citizens of the United States.

It's not a great picture, but it was a great day. People from 34 different countries came, documents in hand, with their families and supporters, to become Americans. They came from Cuba, Bosnia, Scotland, Belarus, Columbia, Nigeria.... it was inspiring. Some had come by free choice, others had come to America as refugees after horrific struggles.

The children's chorus from the Chance School sang the national anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance was recited, each new American swore to uphold the Constitution, speeches were made by former Congressman Romano Mazzoli and Locust Grove Director Carol Ely, and the event was over.

Each new American left not only with citizenship papers, but with tickets to return to Locust Grove for a visit on another occasion.

We were very honored to have shared in this day.

Locust Grove, Media Superstar

We've been so busy here that we've ignored this blog. Last weekend was the best 18th Century Market Fair in the history of 18th Century Market Fairs - just shows what perfect weather will do! We had news crews here from WAVE and WLKY interviewing the re-enactors and filming the battles - see the video here.

Locust Grove will also be featured in the next bridal issue of Louisville Magazine - the photo shoot, on a rainy weekday, brought models and stylists and photographers to the site, with yards of white tulle and exotic footwear, a very fashion-forward day on the grounds! We can still smell the hairspray...

Today we have a photographer and reporter from the food section of the Courier-Journal here, talking with chef Mark Williams of Brown-Forman, who will be offering a Thanksgiving program for us on the 12th of November, featuring local foods.

It's a beautiful place to be, especially at this time of year. Come over, rest, breathe.

The War of 1812: the Movie

In all the commotion about the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War (and we've all learned a new word there!), an earlier American conflict has been unfairly overlooked - the War of 1812. It's the Bicentennial of that war, beginning next year and running through 1815. I'm sure that you are all busy making your plans now for your personal celebrations.

But, seriously, some of us here at Locust Grove are preparing for our own commemoration, focusing on the generation of Kentuckians who were literally children of the Revolution, many of whom fought to complete the war with England that their fathers had battled a generation earlier. George Croghan, the second son of William and Lucy Croghan, was the "hero of Fort Stephenson", winning a battle using tactics that seem to have been inspired by the military daring of his uncle, George Rogers Clark. Expect more programs and events in the coming year to explore and to try to illuminate this conflict, which is poorly understood by most Americans.

Here's a link to a very funny video dramatizing our ignorance, in the form of a trailer for a film that we'd love to see - The War of 1812: the Movie. But then we're history geeks. But then, since you're reading this, so are you!

Lift

Locust Grove is at least 216 years old, and remarkably strong for its age. William Croghan sited it well, built soundly, and his immediate heirs kept it intact.

The 1960s restoration was state-of-the-art for the time, and, though decisions were made that would not be made today, the House was strengthened and renewed. Since then, site owners Jefferson County and then Metro Parks have worked with  Historic Locust Grove, Inc. to maintain the integrity (in all senses of the word) of the structure.

In the past few years we've not only redone the interiors from the plaster to the wallpaper, we've replaced roof flashing, entire chimneys, reinforced the stairs, added drainage, and so much more.

But until now, we've never had a really comprehensive look at the building as a whole, how it works structurally, and how it will continue to stand and resist the forces of gravity and water. So last summer we formed a committee (of course) and began working with architect Charles Raith of Milner Associates and his engineering team for a complete engineering assessment of the building.

After the initial interior visual inspections and measurements and document gathering, a laser measurement specialist arrived and began detailed and extremely precise mapping of every exterior surface of the building, each brick, each crack in each brick, each deformation or deflection from the ideal. Over time, we will be able to measure tiny shifts and see if we have a problem developing BEFORE it causes disaster.

This week, preservation engineer Nicole Ferran went up in a hydraulic lift (thanks, Louisville Metro Parks Forestry Department!) to visually inspect the exterior bricks and the roof.

Your House Can Look Like Locust Grove

If it has always been your secret dream to live at Locust Grove, part of your wish can come true: Adelphi Wallpaper has reproduced the Arabesque paper used in our second floor Great Parlor. Purchase at http://www.adelphipaperhangings.com/locustgrove.html and live magnificently on the Kentucky frontier!

Appreciating Volunteers

Bob Pilkington & Fred Atkinson, in costume

Tomorrow, April 12, is once again our "Volunteer Appreciation" party, an annual rite of formally thanking our volunteers, all 100+ of them, for their service during the year. We count up the hours, issue certificates, offer recognition pins to those who pass certain milestones. In some years we award our highest honor, the Audrey Pilkington award, and we've also created some other awards for such accomplishments as surviving the "Most Unusual Visitor Experience", and the self-explanatory "Saves-the-Day" award. We eat, drink (open bar!) applaud, and go home.

Tobe Penny, Visitors Center volunteer

And then the next day, the volunteers show up again, and we carry on. But I hope that for that one evening, everybody does really recognize and understand just how much our volunteers ARE Locust Grove. We could not in any way do what we do without the participation of people who just want to be here to share their skills and their time.

Jeannie Vezeau, Gazette Editor & so much more

That's the magic of volunteers. They choose to be here, want to be here, give up other opportunities to be here. Some love the study of history, some love this neighborhood, some enjoy meeting people, some are big fans of George Rogers Clark, some love the opportunity to imagine for a few moment that it's 1811, not 2011.

The Hillbrechts: some whole families volunteer!

In our circles of community, we have our staff, Board, committees, our volunteers, our Friends members, and the people who come to participate in events and tours. It's not unusual for one individual to fit at once in all those categories (we even have staff/volunteers). We're always looking for more volunteers, and looking for ways to make it fun and worthwhile for those who choose to do so.

So, while it could be seen as just pro forma, Volunteer Appreciation  is anything but. We truly are grateful and lucky to have the people that we have, volunteering here at Locust Grove.

Oushak!

Here's an image of the Oushak rug, for those of you who were wondering. The Great Parlor room has come together in stages, so we don't yet have professional-quality images of the room with the wallpaper and the curtains AND the carpet. But really, you have to see it to appreciate it. Colors that seem as though they would clash, don't. It works.

Back to Reality

Eight months is long enough between blog posts! We're back.

The Locust Grove blog was originally set up to keep people up-to-date with our re-restoration of the historic 1790s House. Well, we're done! Even the long-awaited Oushak rug has arrived from Turkey for the Great Parlor.

Now we're moving on with a plan for the grounds and outbuildings, with the intention of learning more about this land as a farm, and more about the natural history of the site. Last weekend was our first "Slave Life at Locust Grove" weekend, with tours and performances based around the lives of the enslaved African-Americans who lived here and did the work of the farm. We plan to extend this programming through the year.

With Louisville Metro Parks, owners of the site, we've begun creating a Master Plan for the next 25 years. What can we do with all 55 acres? What do audiences - tourists and local - want from this site, now and later? What will keep us relevant to a changing community?

We've just started getting organized for this process. Phase 1 is a physical survey of the 55 acres, and a mapping of the boundaries of the original 694 acres of Locust Grove (fun with map overlays!). Phase 2 is archeological research. Both phases will be started in 2011. At a later point, there will be community input in planning, and we hope that you'll add your thoughts to the mix.

We're Open!

Finally. With about 95% of the work completed, we "opened" to the public last week. On Thursday evening we had a reception for Locust Grove members and friends, and on Friday we hosted our symposium on the restoration, "Arabesque and Verdigris", with presentations by Samuel Thomas, Gwynne Potts, Rabbit Goody (textiles), Steve Larson (wallpaper), Carol Ely, and with wrapup by Scott Erbes, Speed Museum curator. The Powerpoints all worked! Except for the remote control mouse. It's always something. Usually something technical.

But we do have it all on tape. Videographer Brent Humes is editing the footage of the symposium, and we will copy it to DVD and have it available in our library in case you missed it, or just want to relive the experience.

To introduce the renewed House to the public, we had an open house/free day on Saturday the 26th, and about 750 people showed up. That was fun, and very gratifying to know that that "general public" really does care about history. We had the band "Whistling Rufus" on the porch, and a good time was had by all.

We capped off the weekend with our Antiques Fair on Sunday, which will go down in legend as "the hot one". It was really, really, hot. Upper 90s, humid. People came anyway!

And now we are tired but happy. We have a few more components of the House coming in the next few months, so there will still be surprises.

And now this blog will become the general Locust Grove blog, with all happenings and commentary about the site (including restoration updates) that we can find the time for, so we hope that our readers stay with us.

It's so pretty!

The wallpaper we've been going on and on about - it's finally here! Wallpaper hanging genius Marva Hereford will be working all week to put up the main paper and the border, or frieze. It's not easy - this complex pattern has to fit around 2 doors, 5 windows, and a fireplace. The light, bright green color is miles away from the muddy colors of the more than forty year old paper that it replaces. Here's a sneak peek - the work is behind closed doors right now to let the paperhangers concentrate. But next week it will all be unveiled to an eager world!

Almost There

It's coming down to the wire now for the restoration of the House - which officially "opens" with a party on the 24th, and then to the public on the 25th and 26th. Days away! Yesterday we had both photographers and videographers filming, working around the missing pieces that are still being installed. At the same time, we were installing the punkah (yes! but needs one small adjustment before it's ready for prime time), laying carpet on the 3rd floor, hanging pictures, and arranging the recently re-upholstered furniture.

Still to come: the Great Parlor wallpaper installation begins next week, and the following weekend our first floor hallway floorcloth will be laid - a dramatic black and ivory diamond pattern. New lighting will be installed to illuminate the portraits, a sword, and the open closets. Aside from some small details, what is in the House then is what visitors will see at the opening. We've also, behind the scenes, reinforced the main stair supports from the basement to the second floor.

In the coming months, we will install the carpeting on the stairs and second floor landing, reupholster some of the existing furniture, hang curtains, acquire a few more pieces of furniture and some small practical objects. In the Fall we will change the bed and window coverings and some rugs to their winter appearance (the bedcoverings in the Rose bedroom will be stunning!). The final piece of the refurnishing is likely to be the large Oushak carpet that is being made in Turkey for the Great Parlor.

Please join us for the symposium on the 25th - www.locustgrove.org/symposium.html - or the Opening Weekend, June 26-27th (free on Saturday; with the Antiques Fair on Sunday).

Long time, no blog

We've been so busy rushing to get the House ready for its grand reopening that there's been no time to blog about it! The rugs are still coming in; our dramatic black-and-white diamond floorcloth for the main hall is on its way. Upholstery is being upholstered. Wallpaper is being printed. We got a sample of the "frieze" border design for the Great Parlor, very pretty, but not so well-coordinated with the main Arabesque paper. Then we learned that our color expert, Matt Mosca, had been consulted, and much to our relief, the colors were not quite right and have now been altered according to the original, once again affirming the good taste of the Croghans!

We are looking forward to punkah installation on Monday - more next week. It will be late next week, because I am going to the AAM conference in Los Angeles!

Wallpaper at Last!

Last week we received the proofs for the custom wallpaper for the Great Parlor, and it is beautiful! Light and bright and full of crisp detail and whimsy. These pictures really don't do it justice, because part of what makes this paper so wonderful, like the other Adelphi Papers, is the velvety texture. Visitors keep trying to stroke the wallpaper (we sympathize, but don't condone this!).

The paper returns to the color scheme of the original, with light pinks and reds where we used to display oranges and browns. The pink also explains the color of the adjoining bedroom, which is the identical shade. The red will work with the curtains that we plan for the room. Red curtains in a green room may not be our own 21st century first choice, but it was popular in the early 19th century, and this wallpaper will pull it all together. These photos look like they are trending towards blue - but the background is really quite green.

Now that we've approved the proofs, the final paper can be printed. It will take at least several weeks to arrive, and will be installed in time for the grand re-opening at the end of June.

This wallpaper requires 40 hand-carved wood blocks to print the full design. It's a long process, and we need enough to cover this large room. It's the most complex design that Adelphi has ever undertaken to reproduce.

And we know that it's RIGHT - unlike other papers and furnishing that require educated guesswork from us - this is what the Croghans had, exactly, as it has not appeared since they put up their wallpaper in about 1806.

This project is moving fast now. Carpets have been installed in two second floor bedrooms. The rose (pink) room, which will be the best guestroom, has a figured venetian carpet in shades of green and pink (see the picture of it still rolled up). The Croghan bedroom, with its verdigris paint, has a plain venetian (striped) carpet, and new bed covers (not quite done yet).

A few new bits of furniture and decorative pieces have appeared. We now, finally, have a bed for George Rogers Clark's room. It's disassembled, but will be roped up and in place shortly.

More is arriving every day. Our docents can hardly keep up with it all. But they are doing a great job despite the chaos!

More and better photos soon.

It's coming together...

It's exciting to see the two rooms that now have their carpets - the downstairs parlor, and the second floor "yellow room." We still have some re-upholstering to do, but otherwise, both rooms are nearly finished.

Carpets are here!

Today we're installing (and by "we", we mean professionals who know what they're doing) carpets in the House. In the parlor, we've got Brussels carpet in blue-gray, brown, and ochre shades. The colors are close to the wallpaper colors - closer than may appear in this photo - but the pattern on pattern effect is pretty spectacular! Moving the furniture back in will tone it down. Window curtains go up tomorrow. When the furniture is re-upholstered as scheduled the room will be nearly complete.

This has been an education for us all in the styles of the early 19th century. We're post-Colonial, but pre-Victorian, a time sometimes called the Early Republic, or in design circles, the Federal period. The austerity that we associate with early America is mythical, and this house will clearly show the love of color and pattern of the time, and the ability of the Croghan family to purchase in an international marketplace, even in Kentucky, even in 1809.

The second floor bedroom that we call the Yellow Room was probably used as a family guest room. That's not a contradiction, since members of the extensive Clark family came and stayed for months at a time. This room has a striped Venetian carpet. More carpets to come, and the other textiles for curtains and upholstery are set to arrive shortly.

Grand "Opening" Now Set for June

We've planned our grand "opening" (that's in quotes, because we've never closed) for the end of June. We thought we'd be able to open in late March, but, you guessed it... the wallpaper. It won't be ready. So rather than open prematurely, we're going to do it right with festivities just before our summer Antiques Market. Watch for a public open day FREE on June 26th, with other events just for members, and a public symposium (with a fee) on June 25th. If you'd like to get on the mailing list for information, just email us with your contact information.

Rugs are coming very soon, from as far away as England and Turkey, and we're seeking appropriate furniture to fill in the gaps, especially a bed for George Rogers Clark, whose new "apartment" is quite bare. In the second floor Croghan (green) bedroom, a new bed cover features the indigo shades that we know that Lucy Croghan favored.

The Dining Room now has a frame for the punkah, which is being constructed for us by Amish craftsmen. The former Weaving Room is now the Girl's Room, and the former Nursery is about to be inhabited by the spirit of Dr. John Croghan.

Even More about the Wallpaper

Yes, we're still going on about the wallpaper.

The great wallpaper mystery developed a plot twist when we got color samples back from Adelphi Paper - and we were dubious. The colors didn't much resemble the photos of the original wallpaper found in the House in the 1960s; they were much brighter and lighter. They didn't look much like the French originals. But, as we've learned, colors change over time in unpredictable ways. We called for help.

First Samuel Thomas, local historian and the first caretaker of Locust Grove, one of few men now living who SAW the wallpaper when it was still on the walls, came and brought better photos. We were so dubious that we sent the photos off to Adelphi. They recommended some serious color analysis.

Well, we know where to go for that - the samples and original fragments were shipped off to Matthew Mosca, who had analyzed our paint for us. Mosca worked quickly, and concluded that Adelphi had done it right. The background color was just a tiny bit lighter and brighter than they had projected, but such a tiny bit that you would never notice unless you knew.

So, reassured, we have left the project in Adelphi's capable hands, and we are eager to see the results on the walls. Light and bright.