ECC offereing courses in Historic Preservation

For The Daily Southerner

The Historic Preservation Trades program at Edgecombe Community College continues to expand its offerings to meet the needs of students. This month, the program offers new courses during the day, at night and on weekends.

Fundamentals of Carpentry is a hands-on intensive course that teaches basic carpentry along with the study and repair of historic structures.

The class meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon beginning Jan. 20 on the Tarboro campus. The class ends May 10.

Students will work on the 19th-century Norfleet House and learn about timber framing.

They will gain skills in repairing original flooring, installing siding and learning techniques used in buildings in the first half of the 19th century.

Students also will learn how to make sensitive repairs to historic houses using both historic and modern tools and methods.

Carpentry Instructor Larry Waldrop holds a degree in Historic Preservation and is a qualified historic carpenter.

Waldrop will teach students how to identify, prioritize and carry out tasks in a historic project. Tuition for the course is $175.

Another new course offered now at ECC is Introduction to Archaeology, which meets on Fridays from 1-4 p.m. and begins on Jan. 22.

Instructor Stephen Herring will teach students how to gather information about a region by studying items left behind.

Herring is a geography/religion instructor at the college.

Students will visit several area museums that display artifacts and learn about identifying the items, how they were used and how they can create a timeline for a community.

Tuition for the archaeology class is $120. The required textbook is "A Brief Introduction to Archaeology" by Fagan for $67.

For individuals who are interested in the program but cannot attend day classes, evening and weekend courses are an option.

Historic and Cultural Landscape will be offered on Tuesdays from 6-9 p.m. beginning on Jan. 19.

This course will help students understand the working class from the colonial to the early 20th century by looking at buildings, tools, household items and clothing, as well as how they were made.

Students will study society and life in North Carolina and the United States and learn to read the visual landscape.

Monika Fleming, coordinator of historic preservation, will be the instructor. Tuition is $120. Three textbooks will be used in the course and will cost a total of $42.

A one-day Introduction to Historic Preservation will be offered on Jan. 23, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. This course is designed for owners of historic buildings and for people who serve on historic commissions.

Instructors John Wood and Scott Power from the State Office of Historic Preservation in Greenville will discuss the history of preservation in the United States, guidelines for establishing historic districts and information on state and federal tax credits when restoring historic structures. Tuition for the course is $65.

A two-day course in Blacksmithing will be taught from Jan. 30-31 by Randy Hodges from Manteo. Hodges will demonstrate working a forge and will assist students in creating household items from nails to hooks and basic utensils.

Students will examine a wrought iron fence around a local cemetery and learn different types of repairs.

Tuition for the course is $65. The textbook, "A Blacksmith Primer" is recommended for the course and cost $30.

Other courses offered at ECC from February to April are:

• Energy Efficiency in Historic Buildings (Feb. 6)

• Timber Framing (Feb. 20-21, Feb. 27-28)

• Beginning Furniture Repair (March 2-April 27)

• Cemetery Preservation (March 5-6)

• Ceramic Tile (March 7)

• Historic Window Repair (March 13-14, March 20-21)

• Blacksmith and Iron Works (March 26-27)

• Historic Roofing (April 17-18, April 24-25)



The Historic Preservation Trades program is supported by the Golden LEAF Foundation.

To register for any of these courses or for more information about the program, contact Monika Fleming at 823-5166 ext. 241 or email flemingm@edgecombe.edu.

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