It Takes a Village.
By Mason Lord, Managing Partner
What's new? Historic Eastfield Village to be exact. Sixteen odd years ago, (When Hudson Valley Preservation was still in diapers) I met a man, Don Carpentier- who introduced me to a unique tradition in historic house preservation. Today, roughly half of Hudson Valley Preservation’s building projects have historic implications, whether for restoration or remodeling. Collaboration with people skilled in period craftsmanship has always been an integral part of how we work. |
Historic Eastfield Village in rural Nassau, NY
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Don built his authentic 19th century early American village called Eastfield, in Nassau, New York over many years. He moved the first building, a blacksmith's shop, onto his father's "east field" in 1971. Since then, he’s moved and restored twenty period buildings (board by board) to the property; including a tavern, doctor’s office, a Greek Revival church and many smaller buildings devoted to the individual trades- including carpentry, tinsmithing, printing and shoemaking. http://www.greatamericancraftsmen.org/eastfield/eastfield.htm
Eastfield Workshops
 For over three decades, Don and other passionate craftsmen have been presenting nationally recognized workshops on Historic Preservation and the Trades. Carpentier is expert in the ways of life in pre-industrial America, from ceramics to woodworking to printing.
Students taking the classes at the Village often live there during their courses. This offers a special opportunity to understand how they lived, alongside of the work of tradesmen of the pre-industrial age. Meals are sometimes cooked in the late-18th century kitchens.
In August, I attended a three-day workshop at Eastfield called “The Greek Revival House in America: 1830- 1865”. There was no plumbing or electric for us workshop attendees- outhouses and candles had to suffice. Area motels were available, but the adventurous, (and cheap) stayed in the historic Briggs Tavern on rope beds and tick mattresses. http://www.greatamericancraftsmen.org/eastfield/village/briggs.htm
Sounds a little grimy maybe. Not to worry, Mud Pond was available for freshening up!
The rustic conditions gave us a greater understanding of the tastes, technology, textiles, carpets and spirit of the time. And what a time it was! The identity crisis and hard times of post-revolutionary America produced stagnant wages from 1790 to 1820. Alcohol abuse, wife abuse, slavery and prostitution abounded, but fortunately led to an Age of Social Reform and Enlightenment. Women’s rights, compulsory education, the abolishment of slavery, and religious reformation moved people to action, which meant change.
Did I mention that my August experience included ten workshops crammed into three days? Four of the presenters are expert sources for products used in historic preservation. A few of my favorites included talks about techniques and displays of period wallpapers, carpeting, fabrics and lighting.
Wallpaper, Carpet and Textiles
 Architecture by itself is unchanging once the structure is complete. Not so for the surfaces. Walls, floors and furnishings are changeable and the Greek Revival period of architecture initiated whole new forms and patterns. The new American factory system offered the middle class lower cost goods at affordable costs. Wallpaper, carpet and fabrics were now accessible to the masses.
Adelphi Paper Hangings http://www.adelphipaperhangings.com/about.html. I met Chris, co-owner, at the group dinner in Briggs Tavern the first evening of the workshop. We feasted on a period meal, including chicken cooked in a reflector oven and 19th century macaroni and cheese! I helped Chris move some of the papers from the church where the workshops were held, to the ballroom of the Briggs Tavern. Chris, who’s been part of the Eastfield tradition for many years, educated me about one of the wonders of Eastfield. “You can touch the stuff!” he said. “Where else can you get up close and personal with original historic fabric?”
Chris understands how the collaborative and scholarly nature of Eastfield promotes sharing. (He confided that the color “Paris Green” contains arsenic, so if you touch a sample of his Paris green wallpaper with flocking you’d better wash your hands)!
J.R. Burrows & Company http://www.burrows.com
John Burrows, founder and specialist in decorative arts furnishings, was interrupted by a brilliant flash of light and tremendous clap of thunder that knocked out the electric and sidetracked us from his beautifully woven tale of the then, 30-year old Charles Dickens travels to America in 1842. We learned that the wall-to-wall carpeting favored by the middle classes offered cleaner floors and less draftiness. It wasn’t until the 1870’s or 1880’s that people started to show off their wood floors.
 Thistle Hill Weavers www.rabbitgoody.com Rabbit Goody, principal, Thistle Hill Weavers, has been weaving luxurious custom fabrics for over twenty years from the recreation of early medieval textiles for Beowulf to woven custom fabric for contemporary high-end handbags.
Besides the plethora of beautiful fabrics Rabbit brought for us to see and touch, she also described the textile revolution and how the American factory system contributed to the success of making textiles available to the middle class. Textile innovation in America surpassed British technology by the 1830’s. She made some compelling points about the role of technology in history and how it helps creative process get beyond a bottleneck: Technology invents nothing. Technology replicates what is already being done. Technology should do it faster. We agree!
19th Century Lighting
 JP-Tinsmith http://www.jptinsmith.com Joel Paradis, founder and master craftsman, showed us why the development of better lighting sources was such a huge improvement in the lives of 19th century people. In the evening session in the tavern ballroom, we witnessed the difference in light between one and two candles. (Big!) Early oil lamps were replaced by the cleaner burning, more efficient and convenient, and brighter lamps. Joel spoke about three lighting solutions from this period:
- Argand - named for Ami Argand;
- Solar lamps - not because they’re run by the sun, but because they are as bright as the sun. Early marketing!
- Sinumbra lamps - which means (in French, or Latin, depending on which scholar you believe), “without shadow”.
I’d like to include more about the experience at Eastfield, but I know my mother would be the only one to read it all! Got questions? Give me a call at 860-355-0906, or email mlord@hvpcorp.com.
In our work remodeling historic homes, Hudson Valley Preservation encounters many and varied aspects of how people lived. Along the way, we’ve found our lives and sensibilities enhanced as we learn details about the traditions of those who went before us. We offer clients authentic insight and craftsmanship to meet both their historic and personal living needs. We welcome an opportunity to share a piece of your history with you.
A family in Millbrook, NY, was greatly enamored of their historic home. There was much work to be done to turn it into a comfortable place in which to live today. http://www.hvpcorp.com/general/~project.php?id=2
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