Coastal Museums Association Stay connected with the Coastal Heritage Society!   HOME > PRESERVATION WORK WHO WE ARE HISTORY MEMBERSHIP > LEVELS & BENEFITS JOIN NOW RENEW MEMBERSHIP EVENTS PRESS ROOM CAREERS STAFF DIRECTORY THE SAVANNAH HISTORY EXPERIENCE > BATTLEFIELD PARK ROUNDHOUSE RAILROAD MUSEUM SAVANNAH HISTORY MUSEUM OLD FORT JACKSON > OLD FORT JACKSON HISTORY FUTURE SITES > CHILDREN'S MUSEUM C.S.S. GEORGIA TOURS NEWS UPCOMING EVENTS CALENDAR ADMISSION DINING GROUP RATES MAPS & DIRECTIONS > OLD FORT JACKSON DIRECTIONS TOURS EDUCATOR'S GUIDE FIELD TRIPS HOME SCHOOL SCOUTS CHILDREN'S CAMPS FAMILY EVENTS OVERVIEW BIRTHDAYS > BIRTHDAY BATTALION COLONIAL TIMES PARTY FANCY TEA PARTY LITTLE ENGINEER CLIENT LIST CORPORATE EVENTS WEDDINGS VOLUNTEER SPONSORSHIP & DONATIONS > WISHLIST WAYS TO GIVE FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGNS OUR TEAM PRESERVATION REPORT ARCHAEOLOGY > FAQ GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS COLLECTIONS > EXHIBITS ARTYFACTS SAVE OUR TREASURES OUR TEAM ROLLING STOCK > ENGINES CARS CABOOSES OUR TEAM In 2003 CHS Curator of Buildings, Stewart Dohrman formed the Preservation Team. Every day, over 50 members of our Preservation Department work to save numerous historic buildings on site. Much of that work is funded by Chatham County Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) money. Over the past several years, the CHS Preservation Team has been honored with awards from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and the Historic Savannah Foundation. In 2006, the Southeast Society of Architectural Historians awarded the Preservation Team top honors with the Best of the South: Preserving Southern Architecture Award. In 2007, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation recognized the Preservation Team with an award for Excellence in Rehabilitation for work performed on the 1855 Tender Frame Shop. We are proud to share examples of our past projects. For information on our current projects, please review our Preservation Monthly Reports. For a more complete history of all of the buildings in the Central of Georgia complex, download the Central of Georgia Structural Histories and Construction Phases (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available here). Tender Frame Shop Battlefield Park Wood Block Floors Workers' Garden Compressor Room Coach and Paint Shops Carpentry Shop Tender Frame Shop Originally constructed to house offices for the Master Mechanic and space for building locomotive tenders, the Tender Frame Shop was completed in 1855. A second story was added in 1899 to provide space for blueprinting and drafting. Repointing historic masonry joints on the building was the first project undertaken by the Preservation Team. Since then, the Preservation Team has completed several other restoration projects within the building, including masonry rebuilding and consolidation, repairs to structural wood timbers, paint analysis, window restoration and roof repair. Rehabilitation of the building into office space for the growing preservation staff was completed in 2006. The Historic Savannah Foundation awarded the Preservation Team in 2006 for their work on the Tender Frame Shop. In 2007, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation also recognized this project with an award for Excellence in Rehabilitation. Battlefield Park The Coastal Heritage Society desired to construct an appropriate memorial to honor the brave soldiers that fought during the Siege of Savannah that took place on October 9, 1779. After consulting with various experts and designers, the Society developed a plan for a park that would memorialize the historic battleground. In 2005, construction of an earth redoubt and battle memorial was begun. The Coastal Heritage Society Director and Preservation Team designed and constructed the redoubt based on historical documentation and field engineering manuals of the period. CHS Archaeologist Rita Elliott found remnants of the original redoubt proving conclusively where the fortification stood. After the archaeology project was completed, the preservation team cleared the site of trees and brush and tons of debris from the foundations of the meat packing buildings that once stood in the area. Contractors brought over 200 truckloads of soil to the site where they were compacted into the rectangular walls that is the redoubt. Crews completed construction in four months. The memorial also includes 800 granite stones arranged in 80 ranks of 10 stones each, representing the approximate size and shape of the attacking columns and the number of casualties. Donors to the project will each have the privilege of engraving the service record of a Revolutionary personage on one of the two foot square granite stones. A 55-foot flagpole has been erected to fly the thirteen star flag that is of the type used by American patriots at the time of the battle. The memorial was dedicated on October 9, 2007. Wood Block Floors The original wood block floors in the Roundhouse were installed shortly after the 1926 expansion. Wood block floors were historically used in workshops because they absorb grease and oil very well, are comfortable to walk on, require little maintenance, and importantly, protect tools and cast iron parts from damage when dropped. Members of the Preservation Team thoroughly researched the origin and construction techniques of the wood block floors before beginning the labor intensive process of restoring them. The Preservation Team removed the tar used to lay the original woodblocks and replaced it with an environmentally sensitive mastic-a cold application adhesive used for reapplying the floor. Historically, coal tar pitch heated at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, was applied to the underlay and surface of the floor to keep them in place, but this process is extremely hazardous to workers and the environment. As an alternative, granulated cork was used to fill spaces between the wood blocks, an innovative technique the CHS Preservation Team formulated. After the wood blocks were restored, a sealant was applied to the surface to prolong the life of the floor. Workers' Garden Created around the turn of the century, the Workers' Garden is typical of those created by employees throughout the Central of Georgia System and other railways, and is perhaps one of the oldest and last surviving gardens of its type. Following the closure of the Savannah Shops Complex in 1963, the garden pathways and fountain were bulldozed. Through the efforts of many CHS employees and volunteers, including Kathrine Clark, John Stafford, Gail Whalen, and the CHS Preservation Team, the original layout of the garden quadrants, pathways and fountain were determined through careful research, survey and archaeology. With aid from the Trustees Garden Club of Savannah, the restored garden, pathways and fountain were completed in the spring of 2005. Since its completion, both the Historic Savannah Foundation and Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation have recognized the Preservation Team for its efforts on the Workers' Garden. Compressor Room Completed in 1855, the Compressor Room originally served as a lumber storage area for the carpentry activities in the adjacent Carpentry Shop. Concurrent with the electrification of the railroad shops in 1907, the building was converted into a power house. Located inside were transformers, dynamos and a compressor that distributed electricity and compressed air throughout the entire complex. Since 2004, the Preservation Team has performed critical structural repairs to stabilize the masonry walls and conserve as much original material as possible from the structural roof timbers. Deteriorated areas of the brick parapet have been recently rebuilt, and massive heart pine roof girders have been restored using traditional methods. Restoration of the monitor and roof was completed in 2007. Coach and Paint Shops Historically used to repair and overhaul passenger cars, the Coach and Paint Shops were built in 1925 to replace two earlier Central of Georgia buildings destroyed in a 1923 fire. An environmental consultant was responsible for the remediation of contaminated soil and asbestos from the Coach and Paint Shops from June 2005 to March 2006. During the remediation process, many artifacts were unearthed, including a probable 19th century brick foundation and many concrete footings related to the 1907 paint shop that preceded the 1920s construction. The structural steel (columns and beams) located inside the Paint Shop are no longer produced, so the CHS Metals Team used portions of the remaining columns to repair and replace the heavily deteriorated ones, allowing CHS to preserve as many of the original columns as possible. In 2005, the Preservation Team removed the original easternmost door of the Paint Shop to use as a prototype for the repair and restoration of all 12 of the prominent "barn" doors at the north side of the Coach and Paint Shops. The building's 72 steel sash windows are a significant characteristic of the historic building. During 2005, the steel sash of one Coach Shop window opening was repaired, serving as a prototype for future efforts. Other projects related to this building include brick wall repairs, removal of non-historic paint from the exterior of the building, and installation of new roofing, including the use of tongue & groove pine decking milled to match that originally used. The building materials used in the restoration process are meticulously researched to reflect the significant original elements as sympathetically as possible. Today, work continues to restore the Coach and Paint Shops. Carpentry Shop Built in 1853, the Carpentry Shop is one of the original 1850s buildings within the railroad shops complex. Here, most carpentry work related to the construction of passenger cars, furniture and architectural elements along the Central of Georgia line was performed. Unfortunately, the Carpentry Shop has suffered from two fires, one in 1923 and the last in 1987; all that remains of the building today is a shell. Since 2003, the Preservation Team continues working to stabilize and protect what is left of this significant building, which has been designated a Save America's Treasures Official Project.

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