Drayton Hall to Reach a National Audience at Past Forward

Drayton Hall will be represented in three programs at Past Forward, the National Preservation Conference held by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Savannah, Ga, November 11-14. Executive Director George W. McDaniel is the keynote speaker for the annual Historic Sites Luncheon and will be presenting “Making a Difference: Historic Sites and Their Communities.” Drawing examples from Drayton Hall and other National Trust sites including Cliveden, Montpelier, and President Lincoln’s Cottage, McDaniel will discuss how historic sites across the country are working to make their communities a better place through education, economic development, and preservation.

McDaniel will also moderate “Preserving Our History, Telling Our Story,” a session with five descendants of Drayton Hall as participants: Catherine Braxton, Rebecca Campbell, Annie Brown Meyers, Charles Drayton, and Shelby Nelson. This session was selected since it can serve as a model for other historic sites and house museums, many of which have descendants, but who are not closely connected to them. “This is an opportunity for attendees of the conference to learn from the descendants and ask questions,” said McDaniel. As with most historic sites today, these descendants never lived here, but they have special memories and connections to this site, passed on from generation to generation, thanks in no small measure to its preservation. Toni Carrier, founding director of Lowcountry Africana and former Wood Family Fellow, will also be speaking at this session.

Trish Smith, Curator of Historic Architectural Resources, will present “Preservation is Smart,” a session that will explore the various ways preservation professionals use technology to save historic places. Smith will be speaking specifically about the innovative use of 3D visualization technology for the digital restoration of Drayton Hall, a practice that has already enhanced the interpretation of Drayton Hall and holds considerable promise for the future.

If You Go

Keynote Speech: “Making a Difference: Historic Sites and Their Communities”

Speaker: George W. McDaniel

Nov. 13 at noon

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Learning Laboratory: “Preserving our History, Telling our Story”

Speakers: George McDaniel, Toni Carrier, Catherine Braxton, Rebecca Campbell, Annie Brown Meyers, Charles Drayton, and Shelby Nelson.

Nov. 13 4:30-5:45

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Learning Laboratory: “Preservation is Smart”

Speakers: Trish Smith and Prashant Singh, CTO and Co-founder of Local Data

Nov. 14 10:30-11:45 

For more information on the National Preservation conference, click here. 

Trish Smith to Present Digital Restoration of Drayton Hall at APT Conference

Using 21^st century technology to digitally restore 18^th century buildings is the mission of Drayton Hall’s Curator of Historic Architectural Resources, Trish Smith. Trish is traveling to Quebec City, Canada this week to deliver a paper at the annual meeting of the Association for Preservation Technology International. “High Fidelity: the Digital Restoration of Drayton Hall,” is the title of Smith’s presentation which will introduce preservation professionals from around the globe to the exciting work underway at our site. Next month, Smith will participate in a similar session titled “Preservation is Smart,” at the annual meeting of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Savannah, Georgia.

Check out Trish’s project to digitally restore Drayton Hall in the video below:

Preservation FAQ: Portico Shoring Posts

This image shows a shoring post in the basement below the portico. There are ten of these posts in the basement, two below each of five concrete beams that currently support the structure above. Recommended by engineer Craig Bennett following a structural assessment, these shoring posts have been used to lift the structure 1/10th of one millimeter in order to stabilize the portico until a permanent structural solution can be put in place.

Click here to learn more about our current work to stabilize Drayton Hall’s portico.

Do you have a question for our preservation department? Please comment below and your question could be featured in a future blog post!

New Innovations for Historic Places

Trish Smith, Curator of Historic Architectural Resources, Attends Conference on 3D Visualization Technology

 

Drayton Hall’s curator of historic architectural resources, Trish Smith, traveled to Paris for a conference on 3D visualization technology.

Pompeii, Versailles, Karnak, the Roman Forum. Would you believe that all of these places share an exciting connection with Drayton Hall? In April, Drayton Hall’s curator of historic architectural resources, Trish Smith, traveled to Paris for a conference that brought cultural heritage professionals from around the world to share new innovations in 3D visualization technology. In the past year, Drayton Hall has joined the ranks of these world-class sites by using technology to bring history to life with stunning 3D restorations and interactive virtual environments.

Our commitment to preserving the house in its current state precludes us from undertaking restoration projects or displaying our acclaimed collections in the unconditioned space, but this technology enables us to do both—digitally. Among the things you’ll see in the 3D models are the finest example of furniture to survive from Colonial America and a piece of case furniture that no longer exists but was depicted in an 1840s sketch. We’ve used 3D technology to transform this piece from a 170-year-old pencil sketch into a three dimensional image of the cabinet filled with ceramics from our collection. These computer-generated pieces are placed in a 3D model of the house which is being digitally restored to its original condition with the help of discoveries made over forty years of research at Drayton Hall.

Trish Smith’s latest work includes a 3D rendering of Drayton Hall’s Withdrawing Room with a piece of case furniture.

Among the things you’ll see in the 3D models are the finest example of furniture to survive from Colonial America and a piece of case furniture that no longer exists but was depicted in an 1840s sketch. We’ve used 3D technology to transform this piece from a 170-year-old pencil sketch into a three dimensional image of the cabinet filled with ceramics from our collection.

For decades our means of sharing such discoveries with the public was limited by our preservation philosophy as well as our lack of museum space, but 3D visualization technology makes it possible to maintain the authenticity of the house in its present state while allowing visitors see the house fully restored and furnished once again. Encouraged by the early success of this project and a desire to understand the latest developments, Trish Smith traveled to Paris to learn from some of the most accomplished professionals working at the most famous historic sites in the world.

Hundreds of attendees from various cultural heritage disciplines attended the Paris conference hosted by CAA, an international organization that convenes annually to foster discussion about computer science and mathematical applications in archaeology and architectural history. This was the first year that a representative from Drayton Hall was in attendance, and the opportunity to learn and share ideas with professionals from around the world was tremendous.  One presenter discussed a project that uses heat signatures to piece together broken fragments of the terracotta warriors and horses in China. Another team shared their innovative method of capturing 360 degree views of all of the columns at the Karnak Temple Complex in Luxor, Egypt; and several sessions ended with lively discussions about historic sites that are successfully creating video games and virtual demonstrations to engage students online.

The opportunity to take part in such a conference comes at a pivotal time as news of Drayton Hall’s 3D renderings spreads and we further our commitment to embracing this technology. Recently, Drayton Hall was awarded an innovation grant by the National Trust for Historic Preservation for the purchase of 3D scanning equipment that will make it possible to capture architectural elements, furniture, and artifacts in greater detail. With our new 3D scanning capabilities and an expanded network of colleagues to help us navigate this digital frontier, we will look back on the 2014 CAA Conference in Paris as the beginning of a new wave of exciting digital offerings from Drayton Hall.

Finding Answers at Drayton Hall Through Dendrochronology

Small core samples from Drayton Hall’s attic were analyzed to help determine the age of the house. Photo courtesy of The Post & Courier.

A recent article in The Post & Courier shows how dendrochronology, or tree-ring dating, gives insight into how long it took to build Drayton Hall. Michael Worthington of Oxford Tree-Ring Laboratory removed core samples from the main house’s attic and carefully studied the width of the series of rings, matching them to 18th-century weather records. Worthington’s findings show us that it would have taken approximately a decade for the main house to be completed. 

Click here to read the article.