HISTORIC NORTHAMPTON State of the Union.pptxRequest for
Community Preservation Act Funds
HISTORIC NORTHAMPTON
October 2014
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Helping the people of Northampton preserve their history
Historic Northampton
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Parsons House, 1719
Shepherd House,
1798
Historic Northampton maintains 4 buildings
at the Route 9 gateway to the downtown
Shepherd Barn, 1800-1850
Damon House, 1813
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Northampton History, Old & New
Pomeroy anvil, 1650s
Northampton politics, 1996 (Wilson button)
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Photographs and
Archives
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Documenting Local Businesses
A.P. Critchlow / Florence Mfg Co. / Pro Brush
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Nationally known Clothing Collection
Silk: A Class Act on Main Street
Dresses in the age of Jenny Lind
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Historic Markers, Website
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Charles Burleigh, local artist
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Contemporary Art at
Historic Northampton
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Midnight to Midnight – Northampton Self-Portrait
Ice Cream Social
with viewing of Midnight-to-Midnight photographs
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Plans for archaeological dig behind
Parsons
House
Ceramics from archaeological dig done behind Damon House in 1985
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Not too bad from the outside
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But a closer look . . .
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To Do List
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The Empty Purse:
by James Collinson, c.1857
To Do List
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Why new boilers help collections
In 2013-14, fuel and heating repair bills totaled $21,400.
Heating and furnace repairs were 38% of our budget (excluding salary), or 20% of our budget if salary is included.
This prevents us from investing in public programs or collection care.
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Old system
simply too expensive
to run
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Collections stored near basement oil tank
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Damaged asbestos in Shepherd House
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Asbestos
damage in
Damon House
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Damon Front
Basement
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MOLD ON COLLECTIONS STORED IN
DAMON BASEMENTS
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Yummy!
Mouse turds, Damon basement
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Mold (and rodent) remediation
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Fiberglass insulation retains moisture
& is a haven for rodents
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Structural issues
SHEPHERD HOUSE
1798
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Water is pouring into
the basement from a deteriorated corner of the foundation
daylight
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Shepherd Basement
is full of asbestos,
is damp and moldy, and has
tree trunks supporting major beams
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Water has rotted bottoms of posts so they are
falling
over.
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Dampness has softened a major carrying beam. One standing post is starting to punch through it
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The failure of the beams below are causing the frame to sag on upper floors and the plaster to crack as it moves.
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DAMON HOUSE
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Deteriorating sash found slipped down,
filled with steel wool overnight
until Kris could remove it.
Wasps nest built inside.
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And inches from that window:
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Damon
Bulkhead
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Parsons Bulkhead – also non-functional
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Discovered today in Damon House
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1719
Structural issues
PARSONS HOUSE
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Parsons – first period timber frame
Massive gunstock post runs ground to attic
at center back of original 1719 house.
Built on a row of stones on the ground.
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Unfortunately, the big gunstock
post is sitting
on this 1719 sill.
1719 sill
Late 18th century sill for lean-to kitchen
Looking up from basement to framing of first floor.
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Lean-to kitchen shows sinking of gunstock post (lower left),
and also the
sinking rear wall
where the sill
of the lean-to
is also rotten.
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Parsons Window Wells
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No Basement
Rear sill problems are due to damp earth a few inches
under the floor, which
also encouraged
termites.
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As sills fail below, in the rooms above the kitchen, the rear wall is being pushed away from the main house.
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Second floor back wall is pushed out farthest where it is nearest rotten 1719 gunstock post.
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In attic above, rear purlin has dropped 5 inches because sills give no support.
String running the length of the rear purlin
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Kris measures how far the purlin has dropped below the string
Purlin drops five inches below the string where it passes the position of the rotten post and sill.
Purlins
Purlin
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Kris Thomson, Alicia Spence and her son Elijah strap the back purlin to the front purlin to prevent further spread and fall of the roof.
Timber framers apply a band-aid.
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Cement-block basement (1981)
has stabilized the front of the house.
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18th Century Basement
1981 Basement
Proposed Basement
We need to do the same thing in the back—before the damage is worse and the cost rises
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