Reflections from our Summer Intern

Editor’s note: This overview of our intern Lucas Newton’s two-part summer experience gives you a window into the energy and hopefulness of a newcomer in the preservation field.

Overall Lucas Newton regards his summer internship at the N.H. Preservation Alliance and Preservation Timber Framing a “massive success.” At the Preservation Alliance, he edited and wrote blog posts, assisted in state register nominations, reported on monitoring visits to historic easement properties, and more.

Next, he was on to hands-on work with Preservation Timber Framing. The company and its owner/founder Arron Sturgis are known for excellent work on civic and residential projects as well as commitment to newcomers to the field and learning.

Newton says that a battle against moisture damage was a theme of the work. He took part in replacing the sills in a historic home in Kittery, ME, and spent an extended amount of time restoring the undercarriage of the c. 1750 Penhallow House at the Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, NH. During those projects, the buildings were stabilized on cribbing towers, which allowed builders to demolish the rotten and ineffective timbers and install new ones. Lucas especially enjoyed using framing tools such as mallets, chisels, drills, framing squares, and various-sized skill saws to layout and cut traditional timber frame joinery for the undercarriages.

Bouncing from crew to crew to witness a diverse group of projects also gave Lucas a chance to get to know many skilled timber framers with unique backgrounds.

During his time working for Preservation Timber Framing, Lucas had the opportunity to assist in several frame raisings (pictured left), including a salvaged barn in Topsfield, MA constructed around the turn of the 19th Century. Note the hand-hewn timbers and gunstock posts.

“I can’t put to words how informative and exciting it was to work for Preservation Timber Framing. Watching my father assemble these structures as a kid, and eventually helping him in his work when I got older, really gave me a sense for how special they are. However, no builder is all-knowing and each one employs techniques a little bit differently, so having the chance to learn from over a dozen experienced timber framers at PTF has been a true privilege. The experience was also a valuable contrast to my time working for the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance. In a single summer I was able to explore preservation from two very different, but equally pivotal perspectives. I’m eager to present my experiences to my peers and program directors at the University of Vermont, where I have lots to look forward to this autumn.”

(Pictured at right) Restoring the undercarriage of the c. 1750 Penhallow House at the Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth, NH. During those projects, the buildings were stabilized on cribbing towers, which allowed builders to demolish the rotten and ineffective timbers and install new ones.

In terms of his future endeavors, Lucas mentioned his excitement for his Historic Preservation Law course during the fall semester. For that course he will learn legal techniques for preservation through the close examination of significant court decisions. Additionally, for his required Community Preservation Project he will be making visits to the Galick Farm in West Haven, VT, to perform professional building assessments on historic farm buildings.

Lucas (second from right), with Arron Sturgis (center), and Preservation Timber Framing’s other summer interns