Week 5:Fowler's Mill

Allied professions

There are many types of professionals that work with preservationist during a project. Within Knox Heritage itself, there are many educational backgrounds including: Historic Preservation, History, Architecture, Interior Design, and Business. In addition, many allied professionals assist Knox Heritage: Engineers, Artists, Contractors, Carpenters and many more. The Fowler’s Mill project that I am working on will have a Historic Preservationist, an Interior Designer, a Farmer, and a Marketing Professional working together. 

Professional organizations related to Historic Preservation

Two examples of Professional organizations related to Historic Preservation are: American Institute of Architects is an Architectural organization that supports and encourages historic preservation. The National Alliance of Preservation Commissions is “the only national non-profit organization dedicated to supporting local historic preservation commissions and the historic resources they help protect.” The East Tennessee Preservation Alliance is a Knox Heritage Initiative which supports local counties in preserving their historical structures. 

Type of registration/certification available to historic preservation professionals

The National Trust for Historic Preservation offers training and a leadership forum to professionals in the Historic Preservation field. Many colleges offer various degrees in Historic Preservation including undergraduate and graduate levels. 

Conflicts could arise because of the variety of professionals on a project. The Interior Designer and the Artist may want the structure to look as it did initially, whereas the Engineer may focus on the structure more than the aesthetics. 

Mill EquipmentThis week

This week I worked on writing Thank You letters to donors. It is important for an organization such as Knox Heritage that relies upon donations to operate, to reach out to donors. This letter also serves as proof of donations for tax purposes. I also took pictures of new inventory and delivered some of the new inventory to Nostalgia. I also removed paint from door hardware by putting then in boiling soap and water then scraping the paint off. 

The main project I worked on this week was the Fowler’s Mill Project. I will be doing as-built drawings and renderings of the mill as well as renderings of what it will look like as a residence. We met with the owner of Fowler’s Mill and learned about the history of the mill. I took measurements of the entire mill to prepare for my drawings. Ethiel photographed the mill so I can use the photos for references when rendering. 

Fowler's Mill OwnerNew Person

Earl Alexander is the current owner of the Fowler’s Mill. He is around 90 years old and has lived near the mill for many years. He has a passion for preservation the mill and believes Knox Heritage can do it. He has a daughter who lives beside the mill on the same property. He also lives in a historic home in Loudon. He showed Ethiel and I around the home after we toured the mill. Both the home and the mill have many of the original FF&E.  Mr. Alexander showed us old bags from the mill and how some of the equipment worked, and told us what it would have been like when in use. His home was used by the military in the war to store meat in the upstairs area. Almost everything in the home was of the original period of the home. His house has all of the original molding. There is an original fireplace in his bedroom that had been painted so many times it had to be stripped.  He has a piano that was given to his Grandmother that had to be completely taken apart to fit through the small doorway. The chairs and sofas were shorter than modern day furniture.

Comments

[MBR]

Good start on delving into the week's focus on allied professionals, professional organizations, and certification in historic preservation. When using a quote, indicate where the quote comes from -- is this taken from a source, or is this a quote from a person giving you the information directly? You need to go into more detail about the organizations and certification. I am not clear on whether or not there is a certification process beyond a degree. What are some of the top institutions that give degrees? I feel there are many holes in your reporting that need to be addressed. Thank you for introducing Mr. Alexander. Would be nice to know how long he has owned the mill and his ongoing efforts to preserve the mill. You write about his home being used in "the war." What war? Can you go further about the original period of the home? When was it built? Please consider in future posts to give as many specific details as possible to add to the clarity of what you are communicating.