2010 Conferences

19th Annual TTRAG Symposium

May 21-23, 2010
Mabee Farm, Rotterdam Junction, NY
Holiday Inn & Historic Stockade District, Schenectady, NY

The Guild’s Traditional Timberframe Research and Advisory Group (TTRAG) goes to the colonial Dutch region of upstate New York for its 19th annual Symposium from Friday through Sunday, May 21-23, 2010.

We will have two separate tours and a number of expert presentations on the architectural heritage of the area and the conservation and repair of historic timber frames in general. Admission is open to all.

Location & Tour We will start out with a walking tour of the Stockade District of Schenectady on Friday afternoon. The historic Stockade is the oldest continuously occupied residential neighborhood in the U.S. with more than 40 pre-Revolutionary War houses, some continuously occupied since the 1600s. It was the westernmost outpost of civilization when settled in 1661 and was designated New York State's first historic district in 1962. We are fortunate to have some of the houses open their doors for us, plus we will get into the roofs of a church and courthouse in the neighborhood. Specific tour locations will be listed on the Guild website as they are confirmed. For now visit www.historicstockade.com where you can download a walking tour map to get a preview and see pictures of the area. After the tour we will head a few blocks away to our digs at the Holiday Inn Schenectady for check-in and registration for the Symposium. Dinner will be followed by evening presentations. On Saturday morning we will rendezvous at Mabee Farm (www.mabeefarm.org), a historic site in Rotterdam Junction, about 5 miles west of Schenectady. This 300+-year-old farm includes the oldest standing home (1680) in the Mohawk River Valley, a New World Dutch barn from 1760, blacksmith shop and other buildings, and re-creations of two Revolutionary War bateaux moored on the riverbank. Originally a fur trading post and now a museum and education center, the farm stayed in the Mabee family for 288 years. At the Farm we will see demonstrations in blacksmithing, tinsmithing, colonial beer making, carpentry and cabinetmaking as they would have been practiced hundred of years ago. Tours of the Farm will be complemented by talks on Dutch Barn construction. Symposium participants are invited to bring antique tools to display or sell for a Tool Swap to be set up amidst the demonstrations. After lunch at the Farm, we will board motor coaches and head into the surrounding country to tour more barns and churches. These will include the magnificent Dellemont/Wemple Barn (early 1700s), one of the finest and most impressive Dutch barns standing today. In Duanesburg we will see a unique church (1793) with hewn dome timbers and kingpost and queenpost trusses. Within walking distance we will also visit a scribed German barn (1780) with unique timber markings and double tying beams, and a swing-beam barn with a massive 12" x 20" x 30' hemlock timber. In partnership with the Dutch Barn Preservation Society (DBPS), the Hudson Valley Vernacular Architecture (HVVA) group, and our own TTRAG experts, we should have a plenty of interesting and educational commentary accompanying us on the tours.

St. George's Church, Stockade District Episcopal Church Jonckers House, Stockade District Mabee Farm House & Barn, 300+ year old Dutch farm Mabee Farm Barn Interior, a 54' x 52' New World Dutch Barn built about 1760 near Johnstown, NY, and moved to the Mabee Farm after 1998 to replace the barns that had burned in the 1900s.

We will return to the Holiday Inn for dinner and evening slide show when everyone is encouraged to show their work. Please bring ten images of your work related to traditional timber framing. Guidelines will be included in your registration confirmation material for submitting your slides or digital photos. Presentations on Sunday morning will wrap up the Symposium before we part ways after lunch.

Guild members Keith Cramer, Kim Balfour and Jim Doyle (also a TTRAG member) have taken the lead on organizing the tours and finding the best presenters and demonstrators for the Symposium. Keith is an architect and knowledgeable about the area, being a Board member of the DBPS and very involved in Mabee Farm and the HVVA.

Presentations

Our slate of presenters includes:

• John Stevens is the author of Dutch Vernacular Architecture in North America and is the Senior Architectural Historian for the Society for the Preservation of Hudson Valley Vernacular Architecture (HVVA). John will give us an overview of Dutch building styles and distinguishing features.
• Walt Wheeler, Senior Architectural Historian at Hartigan Archeological Associates, a cultural resources management firm in Rensselaer, NY, will talk about framing details and patterns during the post-Revolutionary period from 1800-1830.
• Jack Sobon is an architect, builder, and author of Timber Frame Construction, Build a Classic Timber Framed House, and Historic American Timber Joinery. He has been constructing timber framed buildings exclusively by hand for nearly thirty years. What began as a lark to see how hard it was to build a traditional timber frame using old hand tools turned into a lifetime pursuit to unlock the mysteries of this ancient craft and promote the use of hand tools. He will share the lessons he has learned as well as the joys and pitfalls of hand crafting buildings for a living.
• Jan Lewandoski will speak of a new barn type: the fruit house. He has found two examples of this barn typeon Isle LaMotte on Lake Champlain and will also discuss framing in the Champlain Islands in general.
• Alex Greenwood from the New Jersey Barn Company will describe Dutch framed out buildings. Beginning with the Dutch barn (which has been much discussed), Alex and partner Elric Endersby examined examples of barracks, wagon houses, grist mills, an ice house and a smoke house and considered how the Dutch framing traditions influenced the design of these other farm buildings. The talk is illustrated by many measured drawings and photographs.
• Donald Carpentier has restored the more than 20 buildings that make up Eastfield Village, his 14-acre Upstate New York property that reflects the period 1820-1840 America. To achieve authenticity while reconstructing each building, it was necessary for Don to teach himself the crafts of tinsmithing, woodworking and blacksmithing; he is also an accomplished potter. In this talk he'll describe his approach to learning new crafts and becoming a proficient jack of all trades.
• Guild Board member Lisa Sasser will reexamine some of the evolving core ideas and concepts of the preservation movement and how they relate to the architectural heritage of timber buildings. Lisa is a historical architect and preservation specialist. She has worked in preservation since 1972, including 30 years with the National Park Service. In 2001, Lisa received the Askins Achievement Award, presented annually by the Preservation Trades Network for significant contributions to the preservation trades.

More presentations are yet to be confirmed. Updates to the final schedule and sequence of presentations will be posted here as they become available.

Hotel & Meals

Most meals are included in your conference fee, but lodging is not. The Holiday Inn Schenectady (www.hischenectady.com) has provided us with a block of rooms at the attractive rate of $75/ night, single or double. Located just 15 miles west of the Albany County Airport (ALB), it has meeting space and an adjacent room ideal for Charlotte Cooper's Summer Beam Bookstore where you'll be able to find lots of timber framing and historical architecture books. The recently renovated hotel has free Internet access, indoor pool, and fitness center. To reserve your room, call the hotel directly at 518-393-4141 or 800-HOLIDAY. Mention the Timber Framers Guild to get the special rate.

Directions and more information will be sent upon receipt of your registration.

Your conference fee includes admission to all tour sites for the entire weekend, all seminars and meals commencing with the dinner at 6:00 on Friday evening and continuing through breakfast (continental), lunch and dinner on Saturday and breakfast (continental) and lunch on Sunday. The continental breakfast is included only if you're staying at the Holiday Inn. A full breakfast buffet will be available for those who want it for an additional $10, payable there or added to your room bill. Lunch on Saturday will be a box lunch for the tour; please indicate your choice of sandwich on the form below. There is a one-day commuter option for those attending only Saturday's events.

Call Will Beemer at the Becket office at 413-623-9926 with questions about the Symposium. Note below that mailed registrations and payments should now go to the Guild's new business office in New Hampshire; you can also register online here.

Education Credits

Scholarships and Continuing Education Units are available for this and all Guild conferences. Call the Becket office at 413-623-9926 or see the website for details.

For those looking to share rides to the Conference or share a room, please let us know.