Painstaking Log Work Is Key to Restoring Bluemont’s Historic Snickersville Academy
The Snickersville Academy, Bluemont’s first school and church has stood for almost 190 years and was restored by Friends of Bluemont (now Bluemont Heritage). It was used as a church for about a quarter century, remained the only local school for a quarter-century more, and then became a log cabin home to many families for about a century, until the 1970s. From 2012 – 2014 Mark Zalewski, Justin LaMountain, Eric Westergard, and Ed Ashby restored all the log wall work originally done by village neighbors during the spring of 1825, almost two centuries ago.
Stabilizing the Snickersville Academy
Standing by one of the orange house jacks, Mark Zalewski points to where damaged logs will be taken out and 20-foot logs will replace them. Note the charred log upper right.
While inspecting the interior of the south wall of the Snickersville Academy, Mark uncovered a significant factor contributing to the wall’s deterioration — a heavily charred log, indicating past fire damage. This damage likely resulted from an attempt to vent a cast-iron stove through the old chimney at some point in the building’s history. Fortunately, the fire was contained before it could completely destroy the structure. However, the heat and stress from the fire were evidently enough to cause lasting damage to the south wall.
The first step in investigating the cause of the sloping floor on the north side of the building was to lift the floorboards for closer inspection. Mark discovered that some of the stones supporting the floor joists in the northwest corner had shifted over the course of more than a century, undermining the structural support. To stabilize the floor temporarily, jacks were placed under the joists while permanent stonework was prepared for replacement. Under the expert guidance of Erik Westergard, a knowledgeable specialist, the delicate process of leveling the floor in the Old Schoolhouse began, along with the repair or replacement of some of the weathered logs in the south wall.
Mark and Justin also removed some of the stone above the fireplace to gain proper access to the damaged chimney. This allowed them to expose the logs that span the entire width of the cabin, just in front of the chimney.
Slowly, the south-facing log wall was raised to allow for the removal of three weathered logs and the installation of new logs, crafted in the same joinery style used in the 1825 log cabin corner joints. Throughout this process, the structure was carefully braced from the inside to maintain stability. The damaged logs were replaced with “new” logs — actually, 20-foot-long logs salvaged from another structure of similar age. The log work on the south wall has now been completed, with three full logs replaced and seven others faced.
All of the chinking and daubing on the south wall was removed. The wall was then power-washed and treated with BoraCare, a repellent for insects and fungus. The next phase of the project will focus on replacing the chinking and daubing.
After exposing the entire south log wall down to the foundation, it became clear that the log cabin had shifted over time, moving about six inches to the north. This explains the spongy areas of the floor, which had little to no support at both the south and north ends. Eric Westergard and Ed Ashby investigated the possibility of moving the entire cabin back to its original position, shifting it south by six inches onto its original southern foundation, and addressing the bulge in the north foundation. This adjustment fits well into the existing restoration plans, as the bottom logs on both the west and east walls need to be repaired or replaced. Repositioning the cabin could be integrated into this necessary work.
For this year’s Bluemont Fair, the chinking and daubing will be completed at all of the corners of the log walls, providing structural strength at these key points. However, there may still be some open spaces between the logs in the main section of the south wall, particularly between the chimney and the corners. Despite this, the corner chinking and daubing will ensure the building’s stability. Additionally, the team will be able to remove the metal piping internal braces, getting the Academy ready to welcome curious visitors in time for the Fair.
Chink & Daub
A log cabin derives its strength not only from the sturdy tree trunks of its walls but also from the daub between them, reinforced by stones known as “chinkers.” These chinking stones are typically about the size and shape of an adult hand, with fingers extended and touching together. The name “chinker” comes from the distinctive “chink” sound they make when they bump together. Mark and Justin collected, reused, and carefully laid hundreds of chinking stones, securing them in place with a period-authentic daub made from a mixture of sand, lime, and red Virginia clay.
The chink and daub work to seal the log walls of the Snickersville Academy, as Justin puts it, “gives a new meaning to the words ‘restoration using local materials.'” Not only are the daub, chinking stones, and logs sourced locally, but the very water used to prevent and seal cracks comes from the creek that runs right by the Academy, Justin explains. This approach adds an authentic and deeply local touch to the restoration process.
Dauber Justin LaMountain applies creek water to the chinking. Note the stones about the size of a hand set between the two logs in a slanting or “herringbone” pattern.
Justin is working alongside master log-work craftsman Eric Westergard on the chink and daub work this summer. As a professional forester, Justin also helped clear non-native brush from the site earlier in the year.
In late June, they encountered a bit of a setback when they ran low on the historically authentic daub compound—a mix of lime, clay, and sand—prepared by Allen Corcoran of Cochran’s Stone Masonry & Timberframing in nearby Lincoln, Virginia. However, just in time, several new barrels of daub were delivered, saving the project.
According to Mark Zalewski, vice president of Friends of Bluemont and leader of the physical restoration efforts, authentic daub is actually better suited for log structures than modern Portland cement. The daub creates a tighter seal and has the flexibility to expand and contract with the logs and the seasonal changes in outdoor temperatures, ensuring a more durable and historically accurate restoration.
How Daubing is Done
Justin fills his backpack reservoir from Butchers Branch creek by the academy
“This is exactly the way the Snickersville Academy was originally built,” explained Mark. “There were specialists in chinking and daubing in those days, just as there were for any other early American craft.” The process of filling in between the logs involves several key steps.
First, stones about the size of a hand are set between two logs in a slanting or “herringbone” pattern. This pattern is designed to allow the stones to fit the irregular spaces between the logs while making contact with both the log above and below. The varying size and shape of the stones (since they are not all the same size like bricks) allow them to fit snugly into the gaps. The slanting arrangement also helps distribute weight across the flat sides of the stones rather than concentrating it on the more fragile edges.
Next, the stones are pounded with a mallet to wedge them tightly between the logs.
Then comes the process known as “hurling.” The dauber (the person applying the daub) throws handfuls of the compound—made of lime, clay, and sand—into the chinked space to fill the gaps deeply between the chinking stones. After pushing the daub in, the dauber spreads a rough outer coat.
This traditional technique ensures that the stones, daub, and logs all contribute to the cabin’s structural integrity. The cabin is not supported solely at the corners where the logs meet; instead, the finished wall becomes an integrated, load-bearing structure of logs, stone, and daub.
However, the dauber’s work isn’t done yet. As the daub dries, it tends to dry more quickly on the outside than the inside, causing cracks to form. To remedy this, the dauber sprays the cracks with water, which slows down the drying process and helps condition the daub.
Finally, the dauber fills in the cracks and mounds a layer of daub to cover the edges of the stones, ensuring a smooth, seamless finish. The mounding can be seen in the lowest layer of daub in the picture above.
Justin’s dog Madison guards the sill log and the work site
Concluding the Log Work
Master craftsman Eric Westergard continues his expert log work on Bluemont’s “Old Schoolhouse.” Recently, he replaced two deteriorated short logs at the back wall, and now only one sill log (the bottom log) remains to be placed.
Using hand-operated wedges, braces, and lifts, Eric will soon insert the massive sill log at the bottom of the front wall of the Academy.
By the time of the Bluemont Fair, which will be held on September 20-21 this year, all the log and stonework should be complete, ready for visitors to admire the finished restoration.