Restoration work on the Revolutionary War-era tavern in New London remains on schedule and held its last archaeological dig for the first phase of restoration earlier this month.
Friends of New London, which has owned the property since 2012, sold Mead’s Tavern this summer to Liberty University.
Friends of New London continue to help with tours, archaeology, research and are in a mutually beneficial partnership with the university, said Revely Carwile Jr., public relations chairman of Friends of New London.
Liberty agreed to purchase the Alum Springs Road home for $120,000 and stipulated it would restore the tavern built in 1763.
Roger Schultz, dean of the Liberty’s College of Arts and Sciences said a new history course at the university was inspired by Mead’s. The class, “Public History,” is taught by Donna Donald.
The students are focusing their final project on the tavern.
“Students are really pumped about working with an 18th century colonial dwelling,” he said.
The university will follow up in the spring on a digital history class that will include work on the tavern.
Friends of New London and Liberty University have been busy since the acquisition, Schultz said.
“Since we acquired the property, our task has been to do some ground work focusing on two things: one was an archaeological survey where [archaeologist] Randy Lichtenberger and his crew had an incredible time using archaeological techniques to try and find out the age and project if there were any other historical items of interest required for any further restoration work,” he said.
Second, a study was performed on the house’s architecture and filed with the state.
“This is the platform for any subsequent work and a way of making sure we have initial inventory to find out what’s there before subsequent work is done,” Schultz said.
The next stage is to work with an architectural historian who would know the different kinds of construction of dwellings over the years, what was original and what was added on or changed.
“They can make recommendations for the best way to restore it,” Schultz said. “We are close to going into the second phase after we have all documentation.”
Schultz said the project never had a tight schedule because it is a new experience for all involved.
“This is such a unique project,” he said. “We’re really inexperienced in doing this kind of project and just figuring things out as we go along. We had a goal in mind and the university has pledged to do things in a certain time frame but there are so many variables.”
The project’s budget remains somewhat flexible as well, Schultz said.
“We still don’t know the final cost for restoration,” he said. “The university has given us a project budget and as we get bids in we will ask for that project budget to be amended.”
Courtesy of http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/mead-s-tavern-restoration-moves-swiftly-inspires-new-lu-course/article_de3005e8-1aba-5ba7-8c40-95b7d8203020.html#.VoQq1lFRFx8.facebook