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"This
chimney is safe for another 100 years" stated restorer Ernie Zuraw,
who was covered with soot from head to foot.
No, Ernie is not a sloppy worker.
Far from it - his work is meticulous. The soot was the result of
a unique method he uses to inspect and repair the interior of antique
fireplaces.
Hung
from a scaffold spanning over the chimney opening on the roof, a thin
aluminum-folding ladder is lowered down into the chimney. Ernie climbs
down inside and replaces any missing stones, bricks and mortar. He
personally inspects the entire cavity, thus insuring the safely of the
fireplace. However, the main part of this project was to repair the 18th
century pine mantle piece and beehive oven that were damaged in the fire
last September 30. The entire mantle had to be removed to access the
oven and to remove old squirrel nesting material that originally caused
the fire.
A
curious treasure was uncovered amid this debris. Resting on one of the
stone ledges behind the mantle was the remains of a shoe or slipper
belonging to a very small-footed woman or a young girl. According to
legend, it was a practice to place a shoe for good luck somewhere in the
structure when building a house. Ernie
and his partner, Scott, remarked that they had once found a pair of
baby's shoes in the framing of an 18th century house they were
restoring.
Once
the mantle was removed, all the stones were re-pointed and the beehive
oven was rebuilt. Traditionally the shape of the oven is achieved by
building a rounded dome of sand. The
bricks, starting with a soldier coarse, are stacked around the form of
the sand. When the mortar
is dried, the sand is scooped out leaving the shape of the beehive. To
retain the old look of the interior of the oven, antique bricks found on
site were used to replace damaged ones.
In addition, the original mortar was reground and used again,
therefore, all the materials used are appropriate to the age of the
house.
Finally,
the damaged panel on the mantle was restored. Lisa Westervelt, the
painting specialist working with Ernie, was brought in expertly to paint the area to match the original. The project
is complete and the shoe has been tucked back in its hiding place behind
the mantle to continue to bring The Bidwell House good luck for many
more centuries to come. |
