In Sitka Alaska, volunteers removing gravel from a roof at the Hames Center got a history lesson when they found about 20 rusty iron balls mixed in with the pebbles. The 1 inch balls are believed to be grapeshot or canister shots fired by cannons. The local roofing volunteers broke the monotony of shoveling gravel by taking extra time to examine every shovel full for more iron balls.

The gravel was believed to have been dredged from the bottom of Indian River and early speculation is the grapeshot is from the war of 1804 Battle of Sitka. 1940’s was the last time the Indian River was dredged for gravel when large amounts were used for military construction. Gravel left over after the war may have been used by the contractor for roof materials on the Hames Center roof.

Balls appear to be canister shot or grapeshot

Calling Brinnen Carter, Chief of resources at Sitka National Historical Park to give an opinion about the balls, he said the spheres have markings that appear to be Russian. He said weapons that fire grapeshot or canister shot were commonly found on ships and land based artillery of all nationalities at the time of the Sitka battle between the Russians and the Tlingit’s.

Repairing the roof at the Hames Center, the old flat roof covering is being removed so that the insulation underneath could be replaced. Using volunteer labor when it is safe and professional roofing services when needed the community center is able to save money and replace the roof systems.

Made possible by donations and volunteers, Provo’s Pioneer Village carriage house has a new roof. It took approximately 4 hours to replace the old metal roof; the tin roof was loud and did not provide enough protection from the elements.

Improvements are paid for by donations since Pioneer Village does not charge admission and is run by volunteers. Several private donors and two local companies made the new roof a reality.

Generous Donations and Volunteers

Tracy Eliason at Custom Tech Roofing of Payson was invited to bid on the large carriage house re-roofing project. After Mr. Eliason talked with Mike Baker of Interstate Roofing Supply of Provo, they agreed to donate the roof materials and services of an expert roofer to supervise the volunteers on the roofing project.

Located in North Park in Provo Utah the village has the original structures from the settlers of 1849. The village has the Turner Cabin, the Haws Cabin, a school, a granary, wood shop, blacksmith shop, an authentic general store, rare artifacts and tools and various pioneer wagons.

The Pioneer Village plans to use the carriage house to host activities. Pioneer Village is open 6 days a week and is free to the public. On Saturday afternoons a special community showcases events telling the story of Provo’s pioneer settlement. Sons of Utah Pioneers Brigham Young Chapter sponsor Pioneer Village.

In Stroudsburg Pennsylvania, the Stroud Mansion needs a new roof that could cost over $100,000 to replace the slate roof from 1920. The historic building was built in 1795 in Stroudsburg Pennsylvania to be a home for founder Jacob Stroud’s oldest son John.

The 3 ½ story building is now home to Monroe County Historical Society Museum and Elizabeth D. Walters Library. The building was saved from demolition in 1920 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

The Georgian style mansion has 12 rooms which house memorabilia of the county’s history. Volunteers preserve and catalog memorabilia that includes artifacts from Native Americans to present day. The popular third story military room has been closed to visitors due to water damage.

New Patch Jobs a Waste of Money

The roof has received several patch jobs from local roofers through the years. They have tried to put off replacing the costly new roof, but have reached the point where the repairs are a waste of money.

Roofing contractors are now saying a full replacement is the only option. The roof of the addition built in 1893 in the rear of the building will also be replaced. The slate will be replaced as well as the copper flashing and masonry work on the two chimneys.

Thousands of dollars have already been donated by members and supporters, now they are hoping for grants to cover the rest of the project cost. They have requested $85,000 from the state’s Local Share Account which uses a portion of the gambling revenues from Mount Airy Casino Resort.

In Carthage Missouri the historical landmark Boots Motel is being returned back to its original look from back in the 1940’s. Sisters Priscilla Bledsaw and Debye Harvey bought the hotel 2 years with the intention of restoring it and getting the hotel in the National Register of Historic Places.

The property has been sold many times and was used as a rental property for years pushing it into severe disrepair.

Grants and Donations Helping Pay for the Project

The roofers are currently tearing off the 1970s gable roof and replacing it with the original roof-line which was a flat roof. A grant from the National Park Service’s Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program is paying for part of the roof the rest is coming from the owners and donations. The owners hope the roofing project will be completed within 3 weeks.

The new owners opened the office and five rooms in the 1946 annex building to route 66 travelers. The money from the rentals and souvenir sales will be used to restore the 8 original rooms in the main building.

Other work besides the new roof, will be restoring the original sign, and opening holes in the parapet walls to return the motel to the original design.

Harvey said “The room windows had sort of a scroll work design in neon around them. And the canvas awnings will be re-fabricated and reinstalled. We’re hoping we can use the same Carthage Company that did the originals.”

The hotel opened in 1939 and was originally Boots Court at 107 S. Garrison Avenue. The owners Arthur and llda Boots advertised “a radio in every room” and each room had a covered carport.

St. Patrick’s Old Rock Church in Catawissa Missouri got a new green metal roof. The “old rock church” dates back to 1853 when it was a log church next to Meramec River. The limestone church’s construction was halted during the civil war and then the church was completed in 1867.

The original church was built of hewn logs and covered with a clapboard roof. In 1852 a new priest took charge of the parish and began to build a rock church. In 1885 a fire consumed the roof of the church leaving nothing but the rock walls. Three months later the damage was repaired and the church roof was covered.

Graf Construction Established in 1979

Graf Construction from Robertsville Missouri replaced the roof with a 50 year metal interlocking roof. The roofers used 30 foot by 18 inch interlocking panels. The roof replacement cost $31,000. Billy Murphy of St. Patrick’s Preservation Society said the roof was made possible by “a good picnic year”. For over 40 years the society has maintained the church and hosted picnics.

The new roof matches the roof of the Pross Pavilion that is located in the churchyard.

Mass is held at St. Patrick’s 3 times a year, St. Patrick’s day, Memorial day and the annual homecoming picnic in August.

The Zanesville Ohio landmark, Stone Academy Historic Site and Museum needs a new roof. Pioneer and Historical Society Director Jim Geyer said $16,000 is needed to make the needed repairs.

The Ohio Historical Society will match what is raised locally. Over $2,000 has been raised so far. The Historical Society would like to see donations from various sources to show community support for the project.

While doing routine maintenance on the over 200 year old building they found structural problems with the roof. The entire roof needs to be replaced in addition to 145 tile slates. New slates would come from other buildings built in the same era to maintain historical authenticity and save money on the roof repair.

Roof Addition Not Connected to Gutter System

The Stone Academy was built in 1809 with a roof addition made in 1840. The addition was not properly built and water has been missing the gutter system and leaking down into the side of the building.

Geyer said “Looking at it from the outside, you really don’t see where the root of the problem is. You might see a symptom. If you look up you can see the sagging part. The bulk of the cost and expenses is going to be to take and repair the rafters, the structure underneath the roof.”

Originally Planned to be New State Capital

The Stone Academy is one of the oldest public buildings in Ohio; it was a public building and school until it was converted to a private residence in 1840.

The Stone Academy serves as a historical library and archives are available for research. The Museum has murals, paintings, furniture, pottery, documents and Native American artifacts. The building was used in the anti-slavery movement and has a trap door under the stairs that was used when the building was a stop for the Underground Railroad.

Wanda Methodist Church in Wanda Missouri was undergoing roof repair when the roofers found a layer of old wood shingles under 3 layers of asphalt shingles. Phillip Camerer’s roofing crew out of Neosho is completing the roof project.

Currently with 35 members, the Wanda church was founded in 1837. The church is located in the former home of Jones Weems who along with the Ellis family settled the area. Wanda is a small community in the Missouri Ozarks near Neosho. The church is said to be the oldest standing Methodist Church west of Springfield.

Last Re-Roof Over 20 Years Ago

A few years ago the Methodist Church in Wanda installed indoor bathrooms, a handicap accessible ramp and air conditioning. They estimate 20-25 years ago was the last time the church had a new roof.

Church member Ed Schultz said “The roof has finally got to a point where we needed to do something about it. Every time the wind blew hard out of the south, we were losing shingles; they got brittle and were peeling up. Several times we had to have people come down and replace shingles here and there. It just got to the point where we needed to fix it right.”

The crew re-decked the roof and put the new shingles on Friday. Schultz said there are no leaks in the roof and the church is ready for Sunday church services.

In Negaunee Michigan, a historic log cabin was discovered in 2009 when a homeowner was tearing down a small house in his back yard and found the log walls of the cabin between the drywall and exterior siding. The log cabin was made of hand-hewn red pine and cedar logs with dovetail notches and believed to be more than 100 years old.

The restoration project is a joint project between the city, Negaunee Lions Club and Negaunee Area Historical Society. The cabin was named the Collins cabin after the original owner Samuel Collins who is believed to be one of the earliest Negaunee settlers dating back to 1860s or 1870s.

Lions Club Numbered the Logs for Reconstruction

The Negaunee Lions club dismantled the cabin and rebuilt it at the trailhead for the Iron Ore Heritage Trail. Local carpenters at Noskey Construction have volunteered to put a new roof on the cabin similar to ones built during that era.

The roofers began construction on the cabin last week. Once the roof is completed, the Collins cabin will get new windows and doors. The cabin will be furnished in the style of the late 1800s.

The cabin is being restored through donations. The descendants of Samuel Collins have given large donations to the project. Hoping to have the cabin completed by next fall, visitors will be able to look through he windows and see how early settlers lived.

In the Estabrook Park area of Milwaukee the oldest documented home is getting a new roof. The needed repairs are thanks to a neighbor, Mary Kamps who stopped by to look at the Kilbourntown House and noticed the shingles falling off. Kamps together with her friend Diane Buck started a campaign to raise the funds to fix the roof.

The women made brochures and dropped them off at libraries, historical societies and any place they thought there would be an interest in saving the historical house roof by winter.

Disagreement over Who Is Responsible

Milwaukee County Historical Society said the care and maintenance of the house is the responsibility of Milwaukee County Parks. And the director of county parks believes it is the historical society who is responsible for the care of the house.

Over $7,000 has been raised so far, the historical society is managing the Kilbourntown Roofers Campaign. The final cost of the roof repair could be up to $16,000 for the new cedar roof.

The roof contractors of Flowquest Design/build started the roof repair on Thursday on the Greek Revival house and are expected to take 2-3 weeks to complete.

The house was built by pioneer and carpenter Benjamin Church in 1844 and was originally in the middle of Kilbourntown. In 1938 the house was separated into parts and moved by truck to Estabrook Park.

If you would like more information on the house or would like to make a donation, please contact the Milwaukee County Historical Society at (414) 273-8288.

The Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Aberdeen South Dakota is getting the roof repaired and renovated. The 79 year old building is the largest church in South Dakota. While the building is structurally sound there were areas where the roof was leaking into the church and damaging the plaster.

A crew from Minneapolis Contractor, Garlock-French Roofing Corporation is removing the original slate shingles and stress testing them to make sure they do not have any damage and then reused when possible. An estimated 75 percent of the shingles will be recycled.

Restoring the Roof

Any water damaged boards and the felt and underlayment have been replaced. The copper domes on the towers are being repaired and the copper ridge cap is being replaced. A local sculptor will be making some spires to match the original ones that were broken.

Senior Pastor Rev. Shane Stevens said “the slate is being recycled and I like that a lot. It is a green project in that we are recycling everything we can.”

The Sacred Heart Catholic church will be raising the remaining $135,000 needed to complete the project. The church’s insurance company will be paying $200,000 to cover water, hail and ice damage.

The Gothic Tudor church was built in 1933 in hopes it would someday become a cathedral for a new diocese. When the population shifted to Sioux Falls the church became a local treasure.