Creagh House Replicating an 18th Century Struck Joint
Annapolis, MD: 2005
The 1737 Patrick Creagh House remains the best example of early 18th century intact masonry work in Annapolis. The building underwent many changes and additions in the 19th and 20th centuries, including a complete alteration of its interiors, but still boasts exceptional masonry work with remaining struck joints and limewashes. We were commissioned to design and construct a garden wall that matched the house in style and craftsmanship. Although the city building codes would not allow a true 18th century wall construction, we were able to strike a compromise by keeping the modern techniques and materials hidden and by treating the visible materials with the appropriate historic method. We were able to analyze early mortar samples because so much of the houses original brickwork was intact, and separate out the mortar's ingredients. Guided by the results we used high-calcium lime and found local sands that matched those used as aggregate in the original mortar. Our bricks, although modern, were handmade replicas and the mortar was made using local materials; the techniques used were based on the practices of 18th century masons. We were further able to mimic the early sections of the house by exposing the brick arrises to give an aged, weathered effect. Then to finish the joint, we recreated a long-unused period mason's tool which we called the "Moxon" tool, named after the author of an 1678 book on handiwork.
Creagh House: Overview |
Replicating An 18th Century Struck Joint: On-Site Demonstration |
Pointing The Weathered 18th Century Masonry Wall |