A wildfire rolled into a Civil War-era fort in New Mexico. Among the damaged structures at Fort Stanton (where Billy the Kid stayed one night) was a gym built by German internees during World War II

Burn area includes site of pool, gymnasium and old guard house (New Mexico Dept. of Cultural Affairs)

A central New Mexico wildfire damaged three historic structures but 150 firefighters and air crews prevented it from spreading to the main grounds of Fort Stanton, which is best known for its roles in the Civil War and Indian Wars but also tells the stories of  frontiersman Kit Carson and the Buffalo Soldiers. If that's not enough, outlaw Billy the Kid had a Fort Stanton connection.

The 877-acre Camp Fire broke out Sunday in an area known for the fort and 52 miles of cave passages. Containment had grown to 76% by Thursday afternoon and rain helped to extinguish remaining hot spots.

Fort Stanton, established in 1855, is one of the most intact 19th-century military forts in the country and is the best-preserved fort in New Mexico, according to state officials.

As an internment camp in 1939, the fort held the 400-member German crew of the luxury liner Columbus. 

The fire-blackened exterior of the German camp gymnasium (Wendy Brown/Bureau of Land Management)

Remains of the German internment camp before the Camp Fire (NMDCA)

“Damage to historic structures in the German Internment Camp area of the site is still being assessed, but two wooden structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s were destroyed by the fire,” the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs said in a press release.

The roof of a gymnasium built by German internees in 1944 and which collapsed in the 1990s was consumed by the fire. Its walls, made of adobe and concrete, remain standing, officials said Wednesday.

A guardhouse suffered minor damage from a fire retardant that colored the walls pink. “We expect that a good rain will wash it off,” Daniel R. Zillmann, director of communications and marketing for the department, told the Civil War Picket.

Out of the 88 structures on the site, the most important structures in this portion of the site were the ruins of the pool, the gymnasium and the guard house.

Living historians portray Civil War soldiers during an event at Fort Stanton (NMDCA)

Zillmann said he did not believe the two destroyed wooden structures involved historic interpretation.

Fort Stanton Historic Site, which is about 20 miles northeast of Ruidoso, will reopen Thursday morning. ”The only portions of the site off limits to the public will be the Internment Camp area,” said Zillmann.

The park web site includes details of its extensive history and wide-ranging use over the years, including as a camp holding Japanese Americans during WWII.

Fort Stanton was seized by Confederate forces in 1861. During the occupation, three Rebels were killed by Kiowa Indians while on patrol 50 miles north.

A fire crew works to contain the Camp Fire around Fort Stanton (NMDCA photo)

“After all supplies were moved to Mesilla, the Confederates abandoned the fort, burning it as they left. The fort stood empty for a year, but the stone walls survived and in 1862, New Mexican Volunteer forces under the great frontiersman Kit Carson (now a US colonel) reoccupied the fort.”

In 1862, during the Civil War, Union Capt. James “Paddy” Graydon allegedly massacred peaceful Indians. Army doctor John Whitlock called Graydon a murderer and they got into a gunfight, with both ending up dead. (Read here for an account.)

In 1876, Buffalo Soldiers built the Fort Stanton Laundress Quarters, which still stands at the site and is one of the few surviving structures directly associated with the Black troops, the state says.

Billy the Kid, a legendary figure in the Wild West, was locked up at Fort Stanton for a night in 1881 when he was being brought back to Lincoln for hanging after his murder trial in Mesilla, where he was convicted of killing Lincoln County Sheriff William Brady in 1878.

He was kept in a building next to the Fort Stanton visitor center, said BIlly Roberts, a Lincoln resident, professional cartographer and amateur historian

"He was brought to Lincoln, locked up in the newly acquired courthouse, and spent a week there before he killed deputies Bell and Olinger and made one of the most famous jailbreaks in history," said Roberts.

I asked the state for more details on the fort's Civil War and other interpretation, but officials said they were busy assessing the damage and would answer questions on that aspect next week.

Holly Wait led the National Civil War Naval Museum for 10 years. Her 'transformative' leadership, grit and humor will be remembered Thursday at celebration of life

Holly Wait lifts ribbon-cutting scissors and a glass after CSS Chattahoochee work (Terra Mare Conservation)

Holly Beasley Wait’s friendliness, good cheer and distinctive laugh were her calling cards, whether when talking to a stranger or working with colleagues at the National Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus, Ga.

When challenges came along, the museum’s executive director exhibited another side of her character: determination.

Such was the case when tragedy struck in June 2020. An arson fire roared through an outside storage area, severely damaging a unique component of the CSS Jackson and scorching the engines of the CSS Chattahoochee, the other key attraction at the museum in the river city.

Former curator Jeff Seymour remembers feeling devastated. But Wait’s mettle and leadership came to the fore, he recalls.

“She brought the team together and said, ‘We are going to get through this and go to the next step.’”

Wait, who was always thinking of the next step in improving the museum’s collection and outreach to the community, died Feb. 19 at a local hospital. Her unexpected passing has jolted the institution’s staff.

The museum at 1002 Victory Drive will host a celebration of Wait’s life at 6 p.m. ET Thursday (March 6). The funeral for the public historian, who was 64, is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday (March 8) at Miles-Odum Funeral Home Chapel in her native Waycross, Ga.

Wait was at the helm of the National Civil War Naval Museum for nearly 10 years.

“Holly's leadership … has been transformative,” the museum says. “She successfully navigated the institution through financial challenges and expanded its national reach. The National Civil War Naval Museum survived the pandemic because of her leadership. The museum's visitation numbers have reached their highest levels under her leadership. Her innovative programming and vision have broadened the museum's appeal, welcoming diverse audiences to engage with and learn from its exhibits.”

Wait worked with the Navy to create an exhibit displaying artifacts from the CSS Georgia, a floating battery that defended Savannah during the Civil War (Propeller in photo, left). The museum acquired letters written by a Federal engineer describing the blockade of Charleston, S.C.

The executive director and staff organized countless lectures and a 2016 symposium, “Wrecks, Recovery & Conservation.” The speakers featured preeminent conservation experts who have been tasked with helping bring the stories of the CSS Georgia, USS Monitor and the submarine H.L. Hunley to the public.

Among them was renowned conservator Paul Mardikian, who has worked on numerous projects, including the Hunley and CSS Alabama.

Mardikian and Claudia Chemello, who formed Terra Mare Conservation, cleaned and treated the Chattahoochee’s engines and the Jackson’s fantail after the fire.

“Claudia and I remember Holly for her wonderful spirit, great sense of humor and infectious laugh,” Mardikian wrote the Picket in an email. “She was never fazed by a challenge and was a true advocate for conservation. Both she and … Jeff Seymour showed remarkable strength and resolve after the devastating fire that destroyed much of the CSS Jackson's fantail.”

Wait (center), Paul Mardikian (second from left), Claudia Chemello and Jeff Seymour, to Wait's left, during discussion about the CSS Jackson's fantail (Terra Mare Conservation)

The engines are now on display next to the hybrid Confederate gunboat.

The giant remains of the CSS Jackson, also constructed in the Chattahoochee River, are the star attraction of the museum.

Portions of the surviving fantail wood and armor plates are stacked below, awaiting possible recreation of the section of armor plating that protected the rudder and propellers of the ironclad. An engineer created a digital record that will guide a possible reconstruction. Funding has not been procured.

Wait helped ensure the success of the annual RiverBlast Festival, which features firing of a 7-inch Brooke rifle, and a host of events -- including car shows, barbecue tastings and paranormal tours -- that broadened the museum’s mission.

In recent years, the venue expanded its support of more voices in its lecture lineup, ensuring the service of African-Americans during the Civil War received its due.

Seymour, now curator at the Erie Maritime Museum in Pennsylvania, said Wait’s deep experience in nonprofits and museum led efforts to build attendance and financial stability, especially when the local government reduced funding.

“She would work diligently to make sure the books were balanced. We looked at new ways to fund exhibits,” he said. “Anything to become more visible.”

Wait relied heavily on her staff, according to Seymour. “She did not make decisions out of the blue, and we discussed things at length before anything moved.”

Among the initiatives Wait championed are two social media fixtures: “Curator’s Corner” and another YouTube channel focusing on Navy lingo over the years.

“The museum thrived under her leadership, but Holly was so much more. Holly was the kind of person everyone instantly loved,” her obituary says.

“I don’t think the next person will be able to fill her shoes,” says Seymour.

CSS Jackson fantail (left) before the fire, which charred historic and modern vessels (Picket photos)

The museum has not announced an interim director as it navigates the days ahead.

“Her leadership has yielded many benefits already, but the greatest rewards are yet to be seen, as she has initiated numerous projects that are still developing and expanding,” it said of Wait.

Wait had degrees from Valdosta State University and Florida State University and served at institutions in Georgia and Florida for more than three decades, including the Jekyll Island Museum, the Museum of Florida History, the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida, Okefenokee Heritage Center and Beaches Area Historical Society.

Before moving to Columbus, Wait was director of the Pearce Museum, a Civil War and Western art museum at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas. She published four volumes of original Civil War letters.

“Notably at every museum she has dramatically improved both visitation and revenue, as well as upgrading their collections and facilities,” reads her obituary.            

Wait is survived by her husband John Wait, a brother and a stepson and stepdaughter.

Holly Wait takes a chisel to the CSS Chattahoochee engines after fire (Terra Mare Conservation)

Here’s what others who knew Wait and participated in programs at the naval museum said about her contributions. Some responses have been edited for brevity:

LAURA DAVIS, assistant professor of history at Columbus (Ga.) State University

Holly Wait was a dedicated and passionate public historian who not only helped guide the National Civil War Naval Museum through COVID-19 and other trying times but was the beating heart of the institution. She helped expand the museum's collection and programming, educating visitors on the importance of naval history. My students always loved visiting with her and I will forever be grateful for the warm welcome she provided me when I first moved to Columbus and shortly thereafter joined the board. Her spirt, determination and energy will be missed.

WILL HOFFMAN, director of conservation and chief conservator at The Mariners’ Museum and Park, which houses USS Monitor

I met Holly in 2016, when she organized the “Wrecks, Recovery & Conservation” symposium at the National Civil War Naval Museum. From my interactions with her over the years, it was clear that she was passionate about her work, museum and goal of ensuring that the stories of Civil War naval sailors will continue to be told. (Picket photo at 2016 program, left)

JAMES WELLBORN, associate professor of history, Georgia College and State University

I only recently had the pleasure of meeting Holly, when she invited me to give a summer lecture in August 2024. Throughout that process and in attending several summer lectures beforehand, Holly was incredibly welcoming and gracious with her time and incredible historical insights and perspectives. Such collegiality and congeniality is the mark of a truly genuine soul. She was a true champion of public history and will be sorely missed, not only at the National Civil War Naval Museum where she did such incredible work but in the broader field of public history. 

MICHAEL K. SHAFFER, Civil War historian and author

Since she joined the museum, I had the privilege of collaborating with her on several lectures I delivered there in Columbus. As a fellow author, Holly shared several valuable resources with me, which I incorporated into my writing. I will deeply miss her. Rest in peace, my dear friend!

The museum has established the Holly B. Wait Endowment Fund to support its mission. You can learn more here.

Stone Mountain Park tears down fire-ravaged home built for Confederate colonel, moved from south Georgia to be part of what is now called Historic Square

The Davis-Dickey home was torn down to its foundation in June (Photo courtesy John Rosemeyer)

It went down with no fanfare or media coverage, for that matter.

Stone Mountain Park’s Davis-Dickey home, which was formerly owned by a Confederate colonel, was demolished in early June after officials decided it was damaged beyond repair by an accidental fire in November 2023.

I don’t normally report something that occurred two months ago, but I only became aware of the demolition last week. I had checked on the fate of the structure previously and was last on site in early April. A blue tarp placed over the roof after the blaze was in pieces then, leaving sections of the roof open to the elements.

Park spokesman John Bankhead on Tuesday forwarded me a press release that was sent out ahead of the work, but I did not receive at the time. He said no photos of the demolition were available and no news outlets covered the story. I did see a photo on Flickr.

The Stone Mountain Memorial Association, which oversees the state venue, said structural engineers made an assessment and historic preservationists were consulted before the decision was made.

More damage is evident on the other side of the house (Stone Mtn Park Dept. of Public Safety)

The blaze was concentrated in the center and upper portions of the home; its wings were not as damaged. But the damage was extensive. 

The Georgia fire marshal’s office determined that an electrical fault in conduit near the entrance to the home was the cause. Since then, the house was surrounded by a fence, awaiting its fate.

“Reconstructing the home to 1840’s era construction standards would be next to impossible and incredibly expensive,” the association said in the release. “In addition, with it now being part of a state park, the building would need to be reconstructed as ADA compliant with additional points of entry, most likely an interior elevator and ramps added for access and egress."

The Davis-Dickey manor residence was the centerpiece of a recreated antebellum plantation at the park. Other relocated buildings in Historic Square (left) are open to the public, Bankhead said.

All items, mostly period furniture and antiques, not lost to the fire are in storage, Bankhead said.

The Davis-Dickey home  was built in the community of Dickey, west of Albany, Ga., for the family of slaveholder Charles Milton Davis, who left Aiken, S.C., in 1850.

The home was completed in about 1856. Davis, a cotton planter, was the third-largest slaveholder in Calhoun County with 78 enslaved persons. He owned about 3,500 acres, according to census records. Charles and his wife Agnes lived there with seven children.

Davis served as a colonel in the Calhoun County cavalry. Other websites indicated he served as well in the 12^th Battalion Georgia Cavalry and the 10^th Georgia State Troops. All of the units appeared to be stationed in Georgia.

The 6,250-square-foot home was broken into quarters and moved in 1961 to the park for reconstruction. The house faced the park's famous Confederate memorial carving of Lee, Jackson and Jefferson.

The fire ravaged-home before its demolition (Photo courtesy John Rosemeyer)

After it was restored and filled with original and period furnishings, the residence opened to Stone Mountain Park visitors in 1963 as a largely privately operated venture. It was considered the "big house" at the complex, which includes other homes, outbuildings and two slave dwellings.

Now it's gone, with no apparent replacement in sight.

Memorial association CEO Bill Stephens said: "We take historic preservation seriously at Stone Mountain Park, and though the Dickey/Davis House was the centerpiece of the Historic Square, none of these buildings are original to the region, each were transferred and reconstructed here from other parts of the state.

“The costs of restoration are prohibitive, and there is currently no funding source available for complete restoration. The building also cannot be secured in its current state, potentially making it a target for vandalism or potential injury by a park visitor."

Confederate carving and lawn at Stone Mountain Park (Chris Yunker, Wikimedia)

Stone Mountain Park in recent years has been under pressure to remove features, street names or exhibits that depict what critics and scholars call symbols of the Confederacy, Lost Cause and white supremacy.

Architectural historian Lydia Mattice Brandt and associate professor of history Philip Mills Herrington, writing in the March 2022 Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, detailed the history, timeline and goals of the antebellum plantation now known as Historic Square.

They write that the plantation complex buttressed Georgia’s resistance to desegregation in the late 1950s and early 1960s and is a mixture of fact and fantasy. The authors suggest a reinterpretation of the square is critically important.

Stone Mountain rises behind the home before the fire (Jason Armstrong, HMdb.org)

The Stone Mountain Memorial Association has pledged to make changes, but some say the pace has been too slow. The park has relocated four Confederate flags that were next to a popular trail.

A planned museum at Memorial Hall will cover the site's entire past.

Stone Mountain Park hasn't decided what to do with manor home that belonged to a Civil War colonel and caught fire five months ago

A protective tarp is torn and no longer covers much of the roof (Picket photo)

Five months after it was ravaged by fire, no decision has been made on the fate of a historic home that is the centerpiece of a recreated antebellum plantation at Stone Mountain Park.

The Davis-Dickey home, which was owned by a Confederate colonel, was believed to be a total loss. The November 2023 fire was concentrated in the center and upper portions of the home; its wings were not as damaged. The park is east of Atlanta.

The Georgia fire marshal’s office determined that an electrical fault in conduit near the entrance to the home was the cause of the fire.

I drove by Historic Square, home to the manor residence, last week. A blue tarp placed over the roof after the blaze was in pieces, leaving sections of the roof open to the elements. There was no sign of activity at the home, which is surrounded by a security fence.

“Fate of building is pending,” park spokesman John Bankhead said in a Monday email, without elaborating or speaking to whether the house may be rebuilt. All items, mostly period furniture and antiques, not damaged by the fire are in storage, Bankhead said.

More damage is evident on the other side of the house (Stone Mtn Park Dept. of Public Safety)

The Davis-Dickey home is among a collection of relocated antebellum structures in Historic Square. The residence was built in the community of Dickey, west of Albany, Ga., for the family of slaveholder Charles Milton Davis, who left Aiken, S.C., in 1850. It was moved to Stone Mountain in 1961. The house faces the park's famous Confederate memorial carving.

Davis served as a colonel in the Calhoun County cavalry. Other websites indicated he served as well in the 12^th Battalion Georgia Cavalry and the 10^th Georgia State Troops. All of the units appeared to be stationed in Georgia.

Stone Mountain Park in recent years has been under pressure to remove features, street names or exhibits that depict what critics and scholars call symbols of the Lost Cause and white supremacy. The Stone Mountain Memorial Association has pledged to make changes, but some say the pace has been too slow. The park last year relocated four Confederate flags that were next to a popular trail.

Stone Mountain rises behind the home before the fire (Jason Armstrong, HMdb.org)

Architectural historian Lydia Mattice Brandt and associate professor of history Philip Mills Herrington, writing in the March 2022 Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, detailed the history, timeline and goals of the antebellum plantation now known as Historic Square.

They write that the plantation complex buttressed Georgia’s resistance to desegregation in the late 1950s and early 1960s and is a mixture of fact and fantasy. The authors suggest a reinterpretation of the square is critically important.

The Picket has reached out to the Stone Mountain Memorial Association for comment on the current role and possible future of Historic Square but has received no reply. I saw several groups touring the site last week.

Saving a Civil War survivor: Restoration crews are pouring TLC and talents into the Adam Strain building in coastal Darien, Ga.

Views of the work late last month (Marion Savic photo left, others Civil War Picket)

Joe Kasper used to build custom houses in Vermont. There was just one problem: He didn’t like building them in winter. Kasper moved south a few years back, trading the chilly weather for milder temperatures in Bluffton, S.C. – a fast-growing city between Hilton Head Island and Savannah, Ga.

Of course, living on the Southern Atlantic coast brought the requisite heat and humidity, especially when you toil outside or in unairconditioned places.

Kasper was dealing with both when my wife and I recently stopped by Darien, Ga., late one morning to check on the extensive restoration of the Adam Strain Building -- a tabby structure that survived the controversial burning of the Georgia town during the Civil War.

The Strain, damaged in the fire, has stood amid palm trees on a bluff of the small port city since circa 1813-1815. Tabby ruins of other businesses lie just below the site and Darien’s famous shrimp fleet is just to the east.

Revitalizing the Strain is a labor of love for Milan and Marion Savic, whose family operates a modern-day general store and restaurant in Darien, about 60 miles below Savannah. The couple has spent three years and no small amount of money to save and restore the building, which was long vacant and in real danger of collapse.

For Kasper, 63, (right) and others working for Savannah-based Landmark Preservation, restoring the Strain and an adjoining one-story building is a labor of pure craftsmanship and sweat equity. The work is being supported by Ethos Preservation in Savannah.

Two hundred-plus years had done its work on the two-story building. A wall has a pronounced lean, the back wall facing a creek was hanging by a prayer and other areas were in need of structural stability – all of that has been addressed and crews are currently working on rebuilding the back wall.

The 19^th century Strain’s builders had their own skills, using quality mortise and tenon joints and iron rods.

“They knew what they were doing,” said Kasper.

The Savics are planning a nanobrewery, food service, event space, rooftop patio and an upstairs museum about the town’s rich history and culture. Dozens of artifacts found during the work, including a Civil War-era bullet, will be on display, Marion Savic says. The couple hope doors open for business in early 2024.

Crews early on stabilized the structure by shoring up the walls and installing tie rods and plates – all aimed at strengthening the picturesque and beloved landmark. They then put in a steel membrane of columns and beams to add further support and will put in an elevator.

Kasper specializes in wood work and framing and a lot of that was going in when we stopped. Where they can, he and carpenter Graham Johnston are reusing the Strain’s old yellow pine. But, as they say, when you use old materials you have just one chance of getting it right.

“It has its challenges,” Johnston says of the work. “Nothing is as straightforward as you think it.”

Besides its compelling exterior profile, the Strain’s most fascinating draw is its use of tabby and stucco. The Adam Strain is one of few tabby structures remaining on the Georgia coast and it was used throughout the structure, including with bricks.

All the elements in the interior: Brick, tabby and wood (Picket photo)

Tabby is a type of cement made from crushed oyster shells and other ingredients and was popular in the region for several centuries leading up to the Civil War. Stucco is placed on the exterior to protect it from water and other damage.

“Tabby buildings are different. You can’t just drill holes through it,” says Kasper, whose work in Georgia includes the Atlanta Preservation Center and Savannah City Hall.

As Kasper explains it, the covering of tabby involves tossing a ball of lime on a, interior wall and smoothing it with a trowel. “I learned it when I came down here,” says the builder, whose son is three-time Olympic alpine skier Nolan Kasper.

The removal of the back wall yielded piles of tabby in the back of the building (right) that will be reused when the new wall goes up.

I first wrote about the effort to save the commercial building in April 2020. This was the first time I have visited, and I found the building, materials and construction techniques then and now to be fascinating.

The Strain building was used to store cotton prior to shipment in 1861 and 1862 before the Union naval blockade clamped down on Georgia’s coast. Darien’s destruction in 1863 by black troops, under orders from a virulently anti-slavery white officer, caused a howl of protest across the South and even in newspapers in the North. 

Those favoring emancipation were split on whether the act was barbarity or a necessary message. (The burning of Darien was made famous in the 1989 film “Glory.”)

The Strain building survived the flames and was repaired after the war and saw a rebirth for several decades before it was used for storage following World War II.

It came within whiskers of being demolished before the Savics stepped in and bought the property. Local residents were integral in the effort, and there was a Facebook page dedicated toward saving the landmark.

Part of the building looks like a cocoon beneath steel supports (Picket photo)

The preservation of the Strain building, which sits on the southeast corner of Broad and Screven streets, is just one piece – albeit a significant one – in any plans to boost the small downtown district, which has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence.

Missy Brandt Wilson, a Darien native who owns a home there, while now living in Athens, Ga., said she expects the Strain will be an economic engine for the area. “We need it.”

And coastal Georgia historian and author Buddy Sullivan tells me he has consulted with the Savics about the museum and says Darien is “relying on tourism and visitation for its economic survival and what the Savics are doing with the Strain, as well as their continuing interest in our local culture, is the best thing that has happened to us here in a very long time.”

I asked Marion Savic for an update on the restoration (old support star bolt at left). Her responses have been edited:

Q. Can you confirm how the buildings will be used?

A. The one-story will house all the operational equipment and rooms -- brewing, kitchen, bathrooms, lift, etc. The Adam Strain first floor will be the brewery with a bar, seating inside and outside on the back bluff patio. The brewery will offer a limited menu. The second floor will house a nonprofit museum. 

Q. Do you have a brewer lined up yet? What style of beers might you provide and how many can the space seat?

A. We do have a person lined up to do the brewing, but I do not know the types of beers yet. He is not a brew master, but has experience working for a brewery and with brewing. It will be a nanobrewery, so a small operation that will be complemented with a selection of locally crafted beer. We haven’t worked out the seating count yet. The space inside is about 1,300 square feet.

Q. What kind of menu do you expect for the restaurant? Lunch and dinner?

A. It will be a limited bar menu with small bites, salads and artisan sandwiches. Our daughter-in-law, Chef Megan Savic from The Canopy restaurant, will be crafting the menu. (Milan and Marion Savic also own the Local Exchange market in downtown Darien, not far from the Adam Strain).

One of several blueprints to guide restoration crews inside the Strain (Picket photo)

Q. Do you have a color scheme picked out for the Strain exterior? And for the bank building?

A. We are in the early phases of discussing the finish of the Adam Strain. I don’t have a name for the color yet. It will be an historic finish and one that we have found while removing layers during the restoration. 

Q. When are your anticipated openings for the brewery, restaurant, museum and event space?

A. We are hoping to complete the restoration by the end of the year and anticipate opening the brewery in early 2024.

Q. My understanding is the interior of the Strain will have daubing lime over the tabby. The outside of the building will be stucco. Is that right?

A. The tabby inside and out will be covered with the traditional stucco.

Q. I noticed the back wall is being fully reconstructed and the old tabby now in piles will be reapplied. I knew that was a concern going in.

A. They knew the back wall would have to be taken down and rebuilt. It was the most damaged and failing section of the whole structure due to severe structural cracking. We hate to ever have to take down anything, but there was no option and it was the only way to save the building. It has taken a lot of time to take down and rebuild, which adds to the overall duration of the project.

Q. I Also noticed the west wall has a lean (right) from all the years. Will patrons see that lean, how did you rectify the stability?

A. The lean will stay and everyone will see it if they look. They will jack the buildings a few millimeters and then tighten the rods, but it won’t be a noticeable difference relevant to the outward leaning of the wall.

The building is fully supported by the steel membrane structure of columns, beams, and rods throughout.  

Q. Joe pointed out a grain hoist in the roof area. Have you learned anything about that and when it was used? I knew the building was a cotton warehouse around the time of the Civil War. Was this an additional service?

A. We don’t have information yet on the hoist -- there is an open area in the floor under it so we assume that material was hoisted up to the second floor. The building would have been used as a warehouse, ship’s chandlery, mercantile, etc. Because of the two fires, specific information has been hard to find.

Q. Can you tell us a little more about the planned upstairs museum?

A. The museum will be the history of Darien - Commerce from rice, cotton, and lumber to fishing/shrimping, Architecture, Burning of Darien, Adam Strain finds and stories from local people -- presented in an inclusive way.

The Strain is at the end (right) of a string of businesses (Picket photo)

Q. Finally, what are your thoughts on the Adam Strain at this point, given the complexity of the project? How will it directly contribute to the city?

A. We’re very excited about the restoration and also entering the last six months of the project. We think it will be an incredible and priceless addition to the waterfront and city of Darien. It’s one of the oldest commercial tabby buildings left standing in Georgia and one of two buildings to survive the burning of Darien. We believe the finished project will attract visitors and history buffs from all over the country. 

Patrons will get this rooftop view of bridge and creek below (Picket photo)