207 773-2306      26 Higgins St. Portland, ME  04103

When faced with a shabby wall of clapboards that needs painting Dan grabs his tools and gets going. He knows that having good information about paint materials and methods is just as important has having a good brush.

I first worked with John last Summer at a workshop for wooden window repair at the the Shaker village in Enfield, NH as a part of his assistantship program. At the time, I had been gathering information about moving into the field of historic preservation. My experiences at Enfield were very worthwhile, and John was quite willing to answer the questions I had. In fact, I was impressed enough with John's experiences in preservation, his reputation in the field, and his attitude toward his profession that I felt it important to somehow maintain our relationship (both friendly and professional). I had been working for a computer company then, and I was offered a chance to help John with his website.

This work with the website was part of John's assistantship program. He wanted to publish over a dozen articles on wood finishing. These articles had been written by a committee (Joint Coatings/Forest Products Committee) made up of leaders of some of the largest companies in the country working in the wood coating industry, as well as members of the USDA Forest Products Laboratory. Several of the articles had not been previously published, and the remainder had seen only limited publication runs in trade journals. John's intent was to bring these articles together at his site for use as an information resource for wood finishers.

My role was to format, create appropriate links, and to transfer the text of the articles into HTML code, as well as gather accompanying graphics, and seek permission to publish from the primary authors of each article. The experience allowed me to sharpen my HTML skills (all coding was done in Notepad), and I was able to become familiar with publications, companies, and leaders in the field of professional wood finishing. Not to mention the knowledge gained by reading the articles I worked with.

Once again, my experience in John's assistantship program was very worthwhile. My work with the website was published, and I was given credit for my work on those pages in the form of footnotes. I have since recently accepted a job with a company in southern Maine doing preservation work, and I considered my contact with John to be a valuable resource.

-- Dan Mitchell

Fort Knox was built on a bluff above the Penobscot River in Prospect, Maine, during the 19th Century.

Dear John,

I would like to thank you for the opportunity to assist in your recent consultation on the wooden structures within Fort Knox near Bucksport, Maine. I was pleased that the timing and location of the job was such that I could participate in your work and learn more about what it means to be a preservationist. Speaking as one who is interested in exploring the different facets of historic preservation, I found this experience both interesting and educational. I had the opportunity to meet a diverse group of individuals including a journalist who was preparing a story on you, the President of the Friends of Fort Knox, and the Rangers responsible for the daily maintenance of the Fort. Although I did not meet the state's architectural historian, I was able to hear about her concerns for the Fort through you, Surveying, measuring and inventorying the windows and doors of the Fort allowed me to use tools and equipment that I had previously been unfamiliar with. Who would have thought we'd get to play with smoke bombs in the chimneys! It certainly proved to be an effective way to assess air flow. I found that even in the darkest of settings, such as the powder magazines, your high powered floodlights could be connected to a generator and put to work efficiently illuminating the task at hand. I think most important of all you continually reminded me to keep an open mind and let the building show you what it can about itself. I learned how important it is to use all the information you can glean from your studies and to check things not only once or twice, but often three or four times to be certain that what you take to be the rule is not in fact the exception. Being a good detective is obviously an important part of the job. I also learned that I prefer residential consultations to commercial, however, I did find this experience rewarding. Realistically, commercial consultations are likely to represent a substantial part of a preservationists client base and that fact must be taken in stride. Once again let me thank you for including me in your plans and please keep me in mind for future consultations. I hope you found my services to be of value and that I contributed in some small way to the success of this project.

Sincerely,

Sharyl J. Murphy

Sharyl tests moisture (relative humidity) inside the wall of the powder magazine building.

A Vaisala Humidity & Temperature Indicator is used to take readings which are recorded on drawings of the powder magazine.

Eldon Lindamood, an architecture student from Fargo, North Dakota, was accepted for a five-week internship.

Shaker Window Restoration Internship with John Leeke: comments and reflections of Eldon Lindamood.

The Sabbathday Lake window project entailed the removal and repair of 14 windows from a historic barn in the Shaker village near Gray, Maine. The sash from the barn were all removed and taken to John's shop for in house stripping, wood repairs, epoxy treatments, reglazing and repainting. Most of the sill and frame repair work was done on site in the Shaker barn with the exception of very rotted frames and the fabrication of replacement parts. The internship included trips to the Sabbathday village to pull sash and to do site repairs of the other window components. These visits allowed me to get a feel for what was actually being done and to gain a better understanding of the effects of the work rather than doing anonymous repairs from a remote shop. The visits also allowed first hand consideration of site issues like accessibility and temporary weather resistance. As for the specifics of the work, the treatments were varied due to the hodge podge of sash and frames as well as the varying degrees of deterioration. The primary and most extensive skill learned was the use of epoxy consolidants and fillers and the ins and outs associated therein. Consolidation of rotted wood and filling of joints and voids was standard procedure for all of the sash. Other aspects of the work involved paint stripping, glazing, light carpentry, and painting; all of which some foreknowledge was useful requiring only honing of the techniques for the particulars of this project. In addition to the hands on portions of the projects, John also provided as much supplemental reading material as I could digest to increase the educational value of the internship. This, combined with the adequate time for Q&A during meals and road trips afforded a more expansive and complete internship over simply repairing sash. Throughout the internship were intermittent trips accompanying John on consultations, assessments, and public relations ventures, such as meeting with the Director of Maine Citizens for Historic Preservation. These sidebars were fun, interesting and enlightening and were, perhaps, more enjoyable than working in the shop. Touring historic properties from behind the scenes and pulling siding off of the Olson house (of Andrew Wyeth fame) were a few of the perks associated with the internship. The few things I regret about the internship are not seeing the project through to completion, and I would have liked to learn more hands-on techniques had we not relied often on the phrase "They are just barn windows." At times I also felt as though I was working more for John than with John which could, perhaps, be clearer in the intern description. As for these regrets, solutions would be to stay longer to complete the project and allow more hands on technique training (a possibility), for John to spend less time in the office and more in the shop( an impossibility), or to eliminate the road trip accompaniments (would be a big loss). Given the circumstances, however (time constraints etc.), the experience was very positive. As far as the accommodations were concerned, the room was adequate, the food was excellent and the experience was pleasant overall. The house is located in a great neighborhood that is convenient and quiet and, thanks to an initial city tour, getting around was quite easy. The informal day to day operations of the household would mesh well with just about any lifestyle and the meals on the porch will be a fond part of my memories of my stay in Maine. Both John and Phyllis were helpful at finding what I needed (like an MG mechanic and book stores) and showed me how to get there on maps. If I could ask for anything additional it would be a phone in the guest bedroom. The cordless has a ton of static and I felt like I was intruding on Phyllis' space to use it. In summary, if I didn't have to launch a career, and money were plentiful, I would be happy to do it again. The skills and experience are something that I can offer a future employer either in a hands-on repair or assessment situation and I feel they will be a beneficial addition to my resume. John also introduced me to people that could prove valuable in future endeavors as contacts for work or advice and who, generally, seemed personable and receptive to questions. As is, I am sure that I will stay in contact with John to exchange information, inquiries and nonsense.

Letter of Referral
The following letter was given to Eldon for his use in developing his career in preservation.

Elden Lindamood has completed a 200 hour internship with me in my preservation consulting practice. The internship took place during June of 1997 and included hands-on building conservation work at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community as well as historic building conditions assessments of the Olson House in Cushing, Maine, well known for its appearance in many Andrew Wyeth paintings. I found Eldon to be responsive and highly self-motivated. He was able to apply his architectural studies knowledge to solve early building problems with a flare for practical methods. Eldon came to my workshop with seven years experience in hands-on leaded- and stained-glass work. He has well-developed eye- and hand-coordination skills and quickly picked up on the special woodworking and epoxy consolidation techniques needed for the window conservation work under way in our shop. Very specific standard methods and procedures must be followed in this exacting work. Eldon was able to do this in every case with a minimum of training, and then always performed correctly afterward. Eldon also responded exceptionally well when given assignments to develop new techniques, jigs and tooling. Eldon was particularly effective as an assistant during building conditions assessments. He quickly and efficiently produced a complete set of building elevation and plan sketches while working as part of a four-person team in a demanding "real world" environment. With a minimum of training he systematically and accurately assess all of the exterior wood siding of a complex historic building, recording his findings graphically. The data he developed was a significant contribution to our analysis and recommendations to the client. Eldon also fit well into our business program. He was able to readily understand and use our rather complicated time tracking and note taking system effectively. The results of his work were consistent and thorough. Eldon possesses an even demeanor and is socially adept. He fit smoothly into relationships with clients and family. He was an engaging addition to our household during his stay. We found ourselves easily trusting in Eldon's personal honesty, integrity and common sense. I can recommend Eldon for your consideration for any project or position that involves hands-on work or professional practice. Feel free to contact me for further discussion.

John Leeke, Preservation Consultant

Eldon learned the special methods and techniques of wood window sash conservation in the workshop. Here Eldon removes glazing compound and glass in preparation for woodwork repairs.

The Olson House is famous for its appearance in the Andrew Wyeth's paintings of the Olsons and Christina.

Eldon assisted with a four-day conditions assessment and structural investigations at the Olson House. Here he carefully removes wood clapboards without damaging the fragile weathered surface.

Fort Edgecomb, on the coast of Maine, was built in the early 19th century.

My name is Mark DiChiara. I am a Master's graduate student in the Heritage Preservation program at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. During the Fall of 1996 it was my privilege to undertake internship study under the direction of Mr. John Leeke of Portland, Maine.

My internship included practical hands-on instruction in preservation and restoration carpentry under the direct supervision of Mr. Leeke. Mr. Leeke arranged for trips to significant historic structures in and around the Portland area. During these trips previously undertaken, and in-progress, restoration work was clearly displayed and explained to me. I also had an opportunity to interact with various preservation professionals during these site visits. But more instructive, was having the opportunity to watch Mr. Leeke as he interacted with these same individuals. His professional manner and practical knowledge were on display whenever we had opportunity to interact with the public.

The highlight of my internship was being allowed to assist Mr. Leeke in a small two day restoration project at Fort Edgecomb near Wiscasett, Maine. Mr. Leeke was called in by the State of Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands to repair a water damaged door sill on the blockhouse which dates to the Revolutionary War era. To be entrusted with actually repairing a building of such great antiquity and historic significance represented to me a major transition in my career from preservation student to preservation professional. Such transitions are the purpose of requiring internship experiences in order to fulfill degree requirements.

I feel fortunate to have had as able a guide as Mr. John Leeke during this academic passage. His hospitality towards me as a visitor to New England allowed me to quickly feel comfortable in my new surroundings and devote my attention fully to learning. His breadth of knowledge and ability to convey complex information in a clear and concise manner make him a singularly gifted instructor. Any history or preservation student would be well advised to pursue internship opportunities under his direction.

Sincerely,

Mark DiChiara
Atlanta, Georgia

Mark begins work on the fort's door sill.

Cleaning window sills is the first step in assessing their condition.

Mark learned window condition assessment methods including moisture measurement to determine wood moisture content.

    207 773-2306      26 Higgins St. Portland, ME  04103