Student Takes Her Skills on a Trip (pt. 2)

April, historic preservation graduate student, found the opportunity for herself, another graduate student, and two undergraduate students to help with this wonderful project. April has previous experience in restoring buildings and more than happy to help with this building.  Read about her experience below.

“The Historicorps staff, volunteers, and various Forest Service employees had spent the prior two weeks stabilizing and repairing the one-room, wood-frame Surprise Schoolhouse.A flood had washed away the stone foundation, and the structure shifted approximately 6 feet from its pre-flood location.  On Tuesday, the four Southeast students spent the day selecting appropriately-sized stones, cleaning them, and mortaring them together onto base stones that had been set below grade in concrete to create the piers that will carry the weight of the structure.  Other groups were digging and setting base stones and digging the concrete step units out to reset. By the end of the day, we completed 4 3/4 piers.”