Historic Lime Mortar Training Course Held

Fort Pulaski National Monument hosted a historic lime mortar training course in Savannah, Georgia, from May 1st through May 5th – the first such course of its kind conducted by the National Park Service within the continental United States.

Participants attended from all over the eastern United States – from Women’s Rights NHP in New York to Everglades NP in Florida. Mike Hosti, facility manager at Fort Pulaski NM, and Edwin Colon, facility manager at San Juan NHS, organized the course, which was inspired by the late Dean Garrison, who was the facility manager of Castillo De San Marco from 1998 to 2004.

Edwin Colon has been experimenting with lime mortars for the past 16 years, developing different techniques that have been successful in restoring historic structures located in San Juan National Historic Site. He and his historic preservation team are credited with developing this training course, which has had hundreds of students pass through its’ doors, including Director Mainella and Regional Director Park Hooks.

Although the hands-on training focused on the specific needs of Fort Pulaski’s construction, circa 1829 to 1840, the main objective in the classroom was to create an awareness of the extensive damage that the improper use of modern materials can cause to the many historic structures throughout the nation. Lime mortars have to breathe and exchange moisture. Many modern materials available today are not compatible with the older lime mortars because the modern hydraulic cements stop the flow of moisture and air while the lime mortar deteriorates behind it, going undetected by the average person. In most cases, the use of lime mortar will be site specific, depending on the materials used and the range of temperatures. At the completion of this training, participants were equipped with the knowledge needed to conduct research and find what materials were used for their specific sites, determine what materials are compatible with existing materials, and develop a process that works for them. 

Edwin Colon and his preservation team, Miguel Vasquez, Jose Bastian, and Jose Flores, were instructors for this course, along with Jeff Price from Virginia Lime Works.

Dean would have been proud of the success of this course and we honor him and the inspiration that he left behind for his fellow Park Service employees.  

We would like to thank the class participants, the staff from San Juan and the staff from Fort Pulaski for their contributions in making the courses a great success.