At the Shafer Farm in historic Burkittsville, Maryland, Preservation Maryland partnered with the Durable Slate Company to help patch the historic roof and keep the water out as the fundraising begins to pay for a total rehabilitation.
As a part of the organization’s Six-to-Fix program, the historic Shafer farmhouse, a former Civil War-era headquarters in rural Frederick County, received a series of much needed roof patches to keep the structure dry while the work begins to pay for a more comprehensive rehabilitation.
The Durable Slate team along with members of the Burkittsville Preservation Association.
The work, completed under the watchful eye of Preservation Maryland staff and partners at the Burkittsville Preservation Association, was conducted by the Durable Slate Company — a full service historic preservation firm based in Baltimore, Maryland. Durable Slate completed the temporary repairs at-cost providing a significant in-kind donation to the effort.
The initial goal of this complicated Six-to-Fix effort is to secure and seal the building envelope. Water is often a building’s greatest enemy and efforts over the past few months have targeted areas of the structure currently open to the elements. The temporary roof patches installed by the Durable Slate team represent one of the most important water exclusion projects to date. Volunteers with the Burkittsville Preservation Association have also been improving the structural stability of weakened portions of the building with lumber bracing an in effort to buy more time until a total rehabilitation can commence.
Temporary bracing installed by volunteers to temporarily distribute the weight of a failing roof
The ultimate goal is to utilize this structure, and the adjoining outbuildings and barns, to tell the story of the Battle of South Mountain and to encourage heritage tourists to visit this scenic portion of Frederick County. Preservation Maryland support through the Six-to-Fix program has also resulted in a grant application being submitted to the American Battlefield Protection Program to assist with planning a more comprehensive interpretation of the South Mountain Battlefield.
To make a donation to offset the cost of the roof repairs, which Preservation Maryland paid for out of emergency reserves please visit: