William Patterson House Stabilization: Reconstruction Methods Very Impressive

The wood has been completely removed from the William Patterson House, and the usable pieces are waiting for the moment the house will be reconstructed. This view was taken facing west at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

Last week when we visited the site of the William Patterson House, only the first floor of the structure was still standing. Now all the wood is off the house, and only the foundation remains. The National Park Service stated in various articles that they were going to take the house apart and reconstruct it back exactly as it was. While one may be skeptical of that plan, the evidence shows how serious the members of this project are to rebuilding the house as close to its original form as possible.

The first item that one notices when they drive down the Taneytown Road and look at the William Patterson House is that there is no longer a William Patterson House. This view was taken facing southeast at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

We’ll walk around the house, starting on its north side. This view was taken facing south at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

Besides all the wood being gone, one also notices the foundation. The stone foundation on the right (west) side of the house was built around 1796. The brick foundation on the left (east) was built around 1820 when the kitchen on the left was connected with the rest of the house. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

When one steps away from the house, one receives an idea of the care taken to document the building as it is being taken apart. Look at the rocks from the foundation that have been placed on the plastic sheet in the foreground. This view was taken from the facing southwest at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

The stones and some pieces of wood have been laid laid out very carefully. The Pennsylvania State Memorial is in the right background on Cemetery Ridge. This view was taken facing west at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

When many of the rocks are removed from the foundation, they are carefully placed in order, on boards… This view was taken facing south at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

… or in buckets and brought to these outer areas to be inspected and sorted. This view was taken facing west at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

We continue around the northeast corner of the house. The kitchen area on the left (east) of the house shows larger stones. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

Many of the stones were placed farther away from the house. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

And farther back are the larger pieces of the original log structure. It has been estimated that 30% to 40% of the original logs will have to be replaced. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

And in the area east of the house are more pieces of wood, and hundreds of more rocks. This view was taken facing south at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

The rocks and some pieces of wood have been painstakingly placed in the same order in which they were removed from the structure. This view was taken facing east at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

If one looks carefully at the wood, one will see the small tags used to document where they belonged in the house. This view was taken from the facing west at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

The side closest to the camera is the area of the excavated kitchen. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

This is the front (south) side of the house. This view was taken facing north at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

This is the southwest corner of the house. To the right of the orange cone is a new concrete reenforcing wall. This view was taken facing northeast at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

The west side of the house. The Taneytown Road is in the foreground. This view was taken facing east at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

A closer view of the foundation. Here is the northeast corner of the house. This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

A top view of the “basement.” This view was taken facing southwest at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

Another view of the covered basement area. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

The foundation of the Patterson House is in the foreground. The Patterson Farm area recently cleared of trees is in the background. On the right are the buildings at the National Park Service Maintenance Area. The Pennsylvania State Memorial is the domed structure on Cemetery Ridge. This view was taken facing northwest at approximately 8:30 AM on Saturday, January 24, 2009.

Related Posts:

Taneytown Road Battlefield Rehabilitation on July 18, 2008.
William Patterson House Stabilization on August 11, 2008.
Cemetery Ridge Rehabilitation Shows Subtleties of Terrain on September 2, 2008.
Tree Cutting on East Side of Cemetery Ridge Covers a Large Area on October 15, 2008.
William Patterson Tree Cutting Update on October 17, 2008.
William Patterson Field Earthworks on October 29, 2008.
Confederate Earthworks on Seminary Ridge on October 30, 2008.
William Patterson Farm Tree Cutting Update on November 9, 2008.
William Patterson Field Earthworks 1890s Photo on November 20, 2008.
William Patterson Farm Update and Patterson Field Panorama #4 on December 12, 2008.
Licensed Battlefield Guide Rich Bellamy: Colonel Edward Ephraim Cross Part 2 on January 5, 2009.
William Patterson House Deconstruction on January 18, 2009.