ROCKINGHAM, Vt. – Back by popular demand, paint sleuth Susan Buck offers new clues about the early look of the Rockingham Meeting House, Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. via zoom.
At 1798, town meeting monies were raised to paint the new building, but no mention is made what color. But now we know. Think a deep red with cream trim.
In preparing a plan for conservation of the interior woodwork, the Rockingham Historic Preservation Commission brought on board Dr. Susan Buck, a renowned art conservator who specializes in paint and finish analysis for art objects and architecture.
“Before deciding how to preserve the wood, we needed to know what substances were present,” said commission coordinator Walter Wallace. “First thing we considered, do no harm by introducing elements that might degrade rather than conserve the wood.”
Buck is self-employed with her own lab in Williamsburg, Va., and teaches part-time in the Winterthur University of Delaware Graduate Program Art Conservation. Buck is known internationally for her historic preservation detective work at landmarks such as Colonial Williamsburg, Mount Vernon, and Monticello and has worked at UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Beijing’s Forbidden City. She applies the science of the art conservation to architectural restoration.
In early August, Dr. Buck spent several days on site collecting paint and wood samples from the interior and exterior of the meeting house, as well as from the 1816 hearse, funeral bier, and hearse barn that comprise this national historic landmark. Back at her Williamsburg laboratory, the samples were examined microscopically and with colorimetry to determine colors and chemical compositions of the various finishes used over the past 223 years.
Dr. Buck will present her findings at a public lecture, “The Old Town Barn, Another Look at the Rockingham Meeting House.” To receive an invitation to the Zoom meeting, contact Anne Dempsey at programming@rockinghamlibrary.org or call the library at 802-463-4270.
For more information about Rockingham Meeting House conservation programs, email Walter Wallace at clg@rockbf.org.
Dr. Buck’s draft report can be viewed on the Historic Preservation Commission web page at www.rockbf.org.
This free lecture is a collaboration between the Rockingham Historic Preservation Commission and the Rockingham Free Public Library. The paint and finishes analysis project was made possible through funding from the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation and the National Park Service.