Raising the roof: Gettysburg National Military Park nears completion of exterior work on Warfield house; the interior comes next

Finished mortar tuckpointing is on the left wall (NPS photo)

The painstaking restoration of the James and Eliza Warfield farmhouse at Gettysburg National Military Park to its July 1863 appearance is nearing the one-year mark. In recent months, crews installed a cedar shingle roof, put in historic window openings and daubed mortar on exterior masonry walls.

James Warfield, one of many free African-Americans in Adams County, and his family fled as Confederates neared Gettysburg. They were afraid they could be sent south and enslaved. The blacksmith’s home overlooked much of the July 2-3, 1863, battlefield, including the Peach Orchard, and was in the thick of action.

The park acquired the property in the 1970s. By then, it had been modernized and heightened for postwar occupants, losing much of its character and historic footprint.

Work has included the removal of postwar additions, including aluminum siding and side buildings. The home’s height has essentially been chopped in half to its original 1.5 floors, while retaining the original stone walls.

Warfield property before modern additions were removed (NPS)

Jason Martz, a spokesman for the park, recently caught the Picket up on the National Park Service project. He summarized work done in recent months:

-- Non-historic additions to the house were removed

-- A new timber frame roof was constructed and covered with cedar shingles

-- Historic window openings were reestablished and fitted with period correct sashes

-- Unstable masonry walls were repaired and reinforced

-- House foundation was stabilized and waterproofed

-- Exterior masonry walls were tuckpointed using a mortar matching the color and texture of the historic mortar

“The final exterior wall (west wall) to be tuckpointed … is being worked on now,” Martz wrote in an email. “The interior walls in the second floor (half-story) still need final repairs. This will be done once the final exterior wall work is done.

Drawing shows what the house may have looked like during the battle (NPS)

“Once those two steps are complete, the windows will go in and the exterior will be ready for winter. At that point, the interior work can begin. However, no timeline has been established on when or what exactly will be done with the interior. The overall emphasis has been getting the exterior sealed up and made weather-tight for the winter months. “

Martz has said the home, once restoration wraps up, will help the park better tell the story of Gettysburg’s African American community. Warfield had operated two hearths on his 13 acres and “ran one of the best blacksmith stands in the county,” according to the book “African Americans and the Gettysburg Campaign.”

Staffers at Gettysburg National Military Park are chronicling the effort through an online page featuring video, photos and an overview of the project.