The 2015 Pacific Northwest Preservation Field School will be located in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area in one-week increments in August and September. The program will focus on two sites: the Andrew Jackson Masters House in Hillsboro, Oregon, and cabins at Tryon Creek State Park in southwest Portland. Each week of the program will include hands-on projects at both sites simultaneously, giving students ample opportunity to learn techniques of preserving a pioneer-era house and log cabin.

The Field School is offered this year on August 23-28, August 30-September 4, and September 6-11. Applicants may register for more than one week.

The University of Oregon's Historic Preservation Program developed the Field School to provide participants with opportunities to gain experience working with preservation craftspeople in a hands-on environment in spectacular Pacific Northwest settings. The curriculum is designed to attract people from all walks of life, from those with no experience in preservation to practicing cultural resource professionals. Many participants have used the field school to launch into historic preservation careers; others have used it to expand their role in their current preservation career.

Faculty at the Field School have come from the U.S. National Park Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Oregon State University, the University of Oregon, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, Washington State Office of Archaeology & Historic Preservation, and the professional preservation community.

 

All sessions entail hands-on-work, investigation and documentation of findings, and various preservation-related activities, including field trips. Evening lectures will focus on the week's special theme, but can and will delve into other areas of preservation.

 

Location 1: The AJ Masters House

The Andrew Jackson Masters House was built in 1853 and is one of the oldest houses still standing in Washington County. The house was built using box construction with beams, cross ties, and uprights milled from cedar logs. The Field School projects will include back porch stabilization, rebuilding the cornice, developing a new roof and site drainage plan, restoring the original kitchen chimney, restoring windows, investigating archeological resources on site, and completing further research and material testing inside the house.

 

Location 2: Arnold Park Log Cabin

The Arnold-Park Log Home, built between 1907-1917, embodies ideals of the Arts & Crafts movement as reflected in the unique owner designed and built log-and-frame residence. Because of its exceptional craftsmanship (e.g., in the fitting of the logs and execution of architectural features), it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Field School projects will focus on repairing rotted porch floors and stairs (including investigation of types of wood rot and interventions), restoring windows, researching extant interior finishes (e.g. faux wood graining, parquetry floors, and paint layers), writing a master plan for the site, and developing a landscaping plan for the site.

 

Field School participants can earn two (2) graduate or undergraduate level credits from the University of Oregon for each repeatable one-week session. Grading is pass/no pass.  

Not for credit: $900

Two (2) undergraduate credits: $1,100

Two (2) graduate credits:  $1,250

Additional credit: $200 per director's approval

Tuition includes food, lodging, and transportation during each week-long session. Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel to and from Portland.

A Director's Student Scholarship is available, but not limited to, individuals planning a career in the preservation field who without this funding assistance may not be able to attend the Field School. The recipient must be taking the Field School session(s) for academic credit. The award covers tuition for one field school week and additional travel expenses.

For more information visit the field school website https://hp.uoregon.edu/pnwfs, email pnwfs@uoregon.edu, or call 541-346-2089.