Meet Lucas! Our 2023 Summer Intern
Lucas Newton has joined our NH Preservation Alliance team as a summer intern for the month of June. Lucas is a recent graduate of the University Vermont where he earned a BA in History and is now pursuing his MS in Historic Preservation. His interest in history and preservation was apparent the minute he walked through our door! In his short time with us, Lucas has already assisted with a plaster repair workshop and written a follow-up blog post on plaster repair, assisted with his first NH State Register nomination and has completed a multitude of in-office tasks as an enthusiastic team member! He’ll also be helping Beverly Thomas, deputy director, with easement monitoring, shadowing Andrew Cushing, community preservation services manager, on field service visits, and offering a variety of program and event support.
What originally drew you to working in the field of preservation?
“For most of my life I didn’t really know what historic preservation was, but I was inspired at a young age by my father restoring historic barns. He and his brothers are timber framers in Southern Vermont. Once I reached high school, I was able to spend my summers working with him and starting to pick up the trade. During my time with him I gained a deep appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into creating and preserving timber frame structures. I continued to spend my summers with him during my first couple years at UVM, and after attending a lecture on historic preservation, I thought it sounded like a unique way to merge my interests in American history and traditional timber framing.”
What are your first impressions after working with the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance for a week?
“The crew here at the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance has been great. They’ve welcomed me in and have really made me feel like part of the family. I’ve been unbelievably impressed by how well everyone here focuses and collaborates to make their mission a reality. Each person plays a valuable role in the planning, networking, and execution required for their preservation projects. In my first week I’ve been given time to study how the organization operates. I’ve enjoyed examining baselines and assessments reports, State Register nominations and other documents utilized for their historic easements and more.”
What kind of role will you be fulfilling within the organization during your internship?
“For the four weeks that I’ll spend here, they’ve organized a schedule that we believe will best utilize the skill set that I have to offer, and I know that I’m going to learn a lot. I’m eager to monitor the historic easements held by the Alliance, including getting a chance to interact with property owners. These visits are a crucial aspect to historic preservation, especially with regard to historic buildings that are still being inhabited. It will be special to observe the historically significant buildings in person, and to participate in the day-to-day process of ensuring their ongoing legacies. I hope to meet many property owners who appreciate the beauty of their homes the way that my friends at the Alliance do.”
What makes you optimistic about the future of historic preservation?
“From the network of timber framers and tradesmen that I’ve worked close to in Southern Vermont, to my peers and professors in the Historic Preservation department at UVM, to the preservationists I’ve met during this internship, I continue to be encouraged by the passion exhibited for the preservation field everywhere I go.”
Watch for another reflection from Lucas as he finishes up with the Preservation Alliance and moves on to the second half of his internship with Preservation Timber Framing.
Associated links:
UVM Historic Preservation Program -- https://www.uvm.edu/cas/historicpreservation
Plaster Repair Blog -- https://www.nhpreservation.org/blog/historic-preservation-diy-repair-a-plaster-wall
Preservation Timber Framing -- https://www.preservationtimberframing.com/