> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mike Devonshire [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2001 4:09 PM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:      Re: He who laths last
>
> In a message dated 7/19/2001 11:30:44 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> > what is Weeksville, briefly?
>
> Deb-
>
> It's an early African American seelrment in Bedford-Stuvesant in Brooklyn.
> The four remaining 19th C houses adjoin the path of a Dutch road
> (Hunterfly
> Road) They have a web site I believe - check it out. Interesting place.
>
> We had a restoration program there in the mid 1980's during which we
> trained
> several local at-risk youts in restoration crafts while restorain the
> houses.
> Bruce's firm is about to do some major work there which includes redo of
> much
> work from the 80's which was not maintained, and construction of a new
> visitor's center.
>
> Twybil
>
        [Popkin Bruce]
        Thanks, Michael, you fit that into the smallest possible nutshell.
Sorry it took a while for me to get back to this.  The Weeksville website
is...  http://www.weeksvillesociety.org

        We are in the midst of working on this project from two directions:
first, to restore/repair the houses and their immediate siteworks and,
second, preparing a Master Plan for developing a large chunk of city block
to interpret the former Hunterfly Road and landscape, the houses as museums,
and, yes, a new visitor's center, with administrative offices, library,
workshops, exhibition spaces, cafeteria, giftshop, etc. -- rather complete.

        We're also pretty sure that the road started as a Native American
path.  The houses are rare examples (in NYC) of vernacular buildings from
that period.  And we're looking at reproducing some outbuildings -- maybe
even privies, chicken coop (stocked), who knows -- it's still too early in
the planning phases.

        -- Bruce