Framing of the Tower Dome

The framing that supports the dome for our tower was on display this week in preparation for a water test. The framing is believed to be as old as 1748.

As you can see in the upper left photo, the original workers marked each beam and board to know exactly where it would go. This was common practice in the late 18th century. The workmen would have assembled the framing on the ground, marked each piece to be sure it fit, disassembled the framing, hauled it up to the top of the tower, and then completed the final assembly.

A Peek Under the Roof

Our crew has opened both the upper and lower roofs of the tower to investigate water infiltration and in preparation for a new copper roof. This picture highlights the framing of the eaves at the upper roof.

Tower Windows Leave for Repairs

Our carpentry crew has been hard at work this week carefully removing the tower windows, which date to 1882, for restoration. These windows are each composed of 5 pieces (2 upper sash, 2 lower sash, and 1 arch) per side. They are delicate and heavy, but the fact that the windows are able to be repaired and not replaced is a testament to their workmanship.

Pictured is the arch portion of one side.

Water Main Break Does Not Stop Restoration

As our local readers know, a water main ruptured early Saturday morning under the pedestrian mall on the south side of the Old State House. While the rupture caused major damage to the pedestrian mall, the Old State House and its scaffolding came away more or less unscathed. Restoration work progressed as usual Monday morning despite a large portion of the pedestrian mall still blocked off for repairs.