LOCATION: Pope County Museum
809 South Lakeshore Drive, Glenwood, MN 56334
HISTORY: According to the Pope County Museum, the “First County Courthouse,” also known as the Ole Peterson Cabin, was originally built in the town of Stolkholm, MN. At the time of the county’s organization, Stolkholm was the proposed seat. Since the town lacked any sort of suitable meeting place, it was in the cabin that the county organization was completed in 1866. A year later, the seat was moved to Glenwood, now home to the Pope County Museum and the current resting place of the “First County Courthouse.”
Project host Merlin Peterson explains details of the project to the Northern Bedrock crew.
INITIAL CONDITIONS: A number of the “Courthouse” logs were rotting and caulk, which had been applied as an attempt to maintain the building in more recent years, was failing. The roof singles were also deteriorating and substantial biogrowth (A.K.A. moss) was present.
WORK PERFORMED: First, the Northern Bedrock crew removed the old caulk from the joints between the logs with utility knives and chisels. Rotted logs were identified for replacement by Technical specialist, Mark Johnson of Artisan Restoration LLC. Ted and Mark Halvorson, local volunteers, then milled the replacement logs at the nearby Halvorson Farm.
Ted Halvorson (pictured) and his brother Mark Halvorson, volunteered their time and equipment to mill the the ash logs for use in the "Courthouse" restoration project.
Mark led the crew in jacking up the building to prepare for the removal and replacement of the rotted logs. The logs were tested with a flat edged screwdriver to determine the extent of the rot, the interior braced diagonally with dimensional lumber to prevent further movement, and the rotted logs were removed. The new logs that had been cut at the sawmill were then prepared for installation; the sides were beveled, measured, and the ends cut to fit the structure with a mortise and tendon joint. The logs were cut to length with a chainsaw and the bevel was done with a hand tool. The new log was then set in the structure. Some of the log ends and larger holes that had rotted and deteriorated were coated with a log consolidate and then filled with wood chips and epoxy. The structure was treated with Penetreat – a wood preservative.
MORE INFORMATION: Visit the Pope County Museum’s website for more information on the history of the “Couthouse."
The South side of the "First County Courthouse" during restoration. The building was jacked (which you can see on either side of the building) up and support by dimensional lumber from the interior.
The southeast corner of the building was patched with wood chips chips and epoxy. This method allows the crew to retain as much of the original structures as possible, as only a small portion of the corner joint experienced rot.
The south side of the "First County Courthouse, " with all logs replaced.
The Torguson Cabin as it appeared before restoration and maintenance work began.
PROJECT: Torguson Cabin
HISTORY: The Torguson Cabin was built in 1880 by Knud Torguson, one of the first settlers in Pope County. The one-and-a-half story cabin was the third built on the homestead, constructed of oak, dovetailed logs, held in place with wooden pegs. The joints are chinked with a Portland cement mixture. The cabin was added onto over the years, but was returned to its original footprint when it was donated to the county and moved to the pope County Museum in 1984.
INITIAL CONDITIONS: The cabin was rotting in a few places and the chinking (the stuff between the logs) was failing. The windows also required re-glazing.
WORK PERFORMED: The crew removed the old chinking from the log joints with masonry chisels and hammers. Next, all the joints were scrapped and beveled to create a stronger surface to adhere the mortar to. Wire lath was installed with a stapler in the joints to provide extra strength and to hold the new mortar. Next, a first layer of mortar was applied to the wire mesh and then scored so the final layer could adhere to the surface. Then a final thin layer of mortar was applied and smoothed. One of the logs on the front side of the cabin near the base was rotten and dimension lumber was put in it to reinforce it. Penetreat was also applied to this cabin.
Glazing refers to the material that holds the window pane in place. This material is the “sacrificial element,” as it is designed to protect the wood and is periodically replaced. It is a putty that dries to a plaster-like consistency. The old, failing glazing putty is removed, and new putty is smoothed into place to hold the glass pane in place and shed water.
Cassandra Haxton and Grayson Bush of Northern Bedrock, re-glaze the Torguson Cabin windows, applying nu-putti to the hold the window panes in place.
The Torguson "Before and After" may be less apparent from a distance, but the repairs to the windows and chinking will keep water from settling on the wood and prevent rot.
UPDATES
WE ARE MOVING!
The Northern Bedrock staff is moving into new office space in Duluth at 6004 London Road. If you are from the area you may be familiar with the Limnology Building that sits near the mouth of the Lester River: we are right next-door in the little cottage building. This means more space, more staff and more historic preservation in our future!
HALFWAY RANGER STATION OPEN HOUSE
Northern Bedrock staff and crew are hosting an open house at Halfway Ranger Station Historic District (13 miles south of Ely). It's been almost a year since the Forest Service handed us the keys and we want to invite our friends over to visit. Saturday, October 8th, 2016
9:00 a.m - 12:00 p.m.
Mark your calendars now! We will have more details to share with you in the coming weeks.
Pope County Historical Society & Pope County Museum
Merlin Peterson
Secret Agent Ann Grandy
Mark Johnson of Artisan Restoration, LLC
Ted Halvorson
Mark Halvorson
Contact us:
admin@northernbedrockcorps.org
Our mailing address is:
5165 North Shore Drive Duluth, Minn. 55804
