The Restoration Journey

Transcription

1 The Restoration Journey Architecture provides a physical window into a society. The style, material and purpose can tell a lot about the builders society. Dr. G. Dale Greenawald History and Educational Consultant for Project REACH

2 Project REACH Researching Early Arkansas Cultural Heritage This narrative summary is extracted from a Historic Structure Report by Tommy Jameson A.I.A., Jameson Architects, P.A., Little Rock, Arkansas and Joan L. Gould, Preservation Matters, Fayetteville, Arkansas to be presented to Black River Technical College in three volumes The Rice-Upshaw House, The William Looney Tavern, and Rice and Looney History. The Historic Structure Report incorporates independent research by: Scott Akridge, Gerry Barker, Maria Barker, Christopher M. Branam, Kathleen H. Cande, Bill Carroll, Joan L. Gould, Dr. G. Dale Greenawald, Dr. Donald R. Holliday, Robert M. Meyers, Ronnie A. Nichols, Rick Parker, Dr. Eric Proebsting, Steve Saunders, Dr. Leslie C. Stewart-Abernathy, Ronnie Walker, and Dr. Jan Ziegler. PREPARED FOR Black River Technical College Pocahontas & Paragould, Arkansas PREPARED BY Preservation Matters Joan L Gould: Historic Research Randy L. Tipton: Layout In association with Jameson Architects, P.A. Copyrighted 2011 PHOTOGRAPH CREDITS Tommy Jameson Ronnie Walker Lou Wehmer Randy L. Tipton Joan L. Gould FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY NOT FOR PUBLICATION Funded in part by grants from Arkansas Natural & Cultural Resources Council

3 The Restoration Journey Architecture provides a physical window into a society. The style, material and purpose can tell a lot about the builders society. Dr. G. Dale Greenawald History and Educational Consultant for Project REACH Two log structures located on opposite banks of the Eleven Point River in rural Randolph County, Arkansas have inspired an exceptional journey. Prior to beginning the restoration of these silent educators we knew they dated to Arkansas s territorial period. We knew Reuben Rice and William Looney, considered to be the builders of the structures, were among the pioneering American families coming into the valley in the first decade following the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. In 2006 Christina French, a direct descendant of Reuben Rice, shared with us the 1811 will of John Rice, Reuben s father. The senior Rice lived in Hawkins County, Tennessee in the Holston River Valley. In his will he identified his neighbor, Michael Looney, father of William Looney, as his trusty friend. At that moment we knew this project was destined to go beyond restoring unique examples of the state s built culture; it would indeed be a journey that would open, as Dr. Dale Greenawald has said, a window into a society. Christina and her husband Jack French along with Dorothy Jean Upshaw and her children, who are also descendants of Reuben Rice, donated to Black River Technical College (BRTC) in Pocahontas, Arkansas these two territorial period log structures, each built on the farmsteads that Rice and William Looney had established two centuries ago. The rarity of unique examples of the state s earliest built culture still existing on their authentic sites provided justification for funding for this comprehensive restoration effort by the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council.

4 We also knew from the beginning that the men and women who settled the Eleven Point River Valley, both Anglo American and African American, were industrious, unpretentious farmers trained in skills that fostered their independence and self-sufficiency. They were transferring traditions rooted in the eighteenth century to what would eventually become Arkansas. We knew Rice and Looney were arriving with other kinfolk and close connections, some of whom had already opened other new frontiers. They and their ancestors were definitely a part of the peopling of America. With this background we knew the restoration journey ahead would likely yield unpredictable discoveries that would necessitate a multi-disciplinary team of preservation professionals working together throughout the course of the restoration in order to properly document the unfolding of this significant settlement story. Architects, archeologists, conservators, preservation consultants, historians, and master craftsmen were part of the process. We adjusted perspectives gained from past academic studies and allowed documented research and the basic principle of form follows function to be our guide. Discoveries have gone beyond the anticipated. They have included discovery of skillfully crafted log structures that rank among the finest in the entire region. The completely unanticipated discoveries were the roles these structures served in this early-nineteenth century agricultural community in northeast Arkansas. We - the team - found hand-forged nails and actual accounts from Rice family blacksmiths who filled orders for making nails...and bolts, axes, hoes, as well as farming implements. We found construction materials including log and wood framing, a cabinet lock, and hardware, all crafted entirely by hand; we found evidence of rare puncheon (thick plank) flooring. The artisan skill of these early settlers has been further underscored by the generous donations to BRTC of hand-crafted items of material culture passed down from generation to generation by the Upshaw and French families.

5 Johanna Smith 2006 BRTC Art Student The 1833 Looney - French House When I first heard about the study, I did not understand what could be so interesting. They are just old houses, on the side of the road, in the middle of a field, and on a riverbank. But stories of the early settlers brought life into the old homes before me. Mental images began forming. The highway before me became a trail The settlers traveled hundreds of miles by trails, on horseback, by foot, and in wagon trains. They overcame many obstacles, faced many hardships, and survived The homes now stand alone, quiet on the stone foundations. Only echoes of the past remain. Without the stories, these homes would just be old houses on the side of the road, in the middle of the field, and on a riverbank. Now I see them as pieces of a puzzle, pieces that have been essential in shaping our community. They are beckoning us to dig deeper into their past and give them a solid place in history. Twyla Evans 2004 BRTC Freshman English Student The 1828 Rice - Upshaw House

6 Collation of all the professional reports documenting these discoveries is on-going with comparative studies continuing for years to come. An educational component for students from BRTC and other academic institutions has been a part of the journey from the beginning and that, too, will continue for future generations. The two REACH sites have now opened for public visitation allowing all Arkansans and our visitors to share in this journey. Presented here is a summation of our discoveries. Contrasted with the toolkit of skills possessed by craftsmen of two centuries ago, a new toolkit of digital skills is allowing us to share what we have learned through an internet website and interpretive videos. We are not professionals in all these skills as will be evident. But we, like Reuben Rice, William Looney, and their kinfolk and neighbors, are not letting that fact hold us back from opening a new interpretive frontier focused on what Black River Technical College calls Project REACH Researching Early Arkansas Cultural Heritage. Our sincere appreciation is extended to the administration of Black River Technical College and the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council for the opportunity to participate in this adventure. Tommy Jameson, AIA Joan L. Gould

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