埃尔迈拉大学 教师 and Students Invited To Solve Historical Mystery

从左到右:博士. 特雷弗·布朗宁, 艾丽西亚•坎贝尔, 伊莉斯Johnson-Schmidt, 和亚历克斯·怀德尔(历史保护主义者), Johnson-Schmidt & Associates) chat about where to take additional paint samples from the study.

There’s a historical mystery on the 埃尔迈拉大学 campus that a team of EC professors and students will soon undertake solving. Their task is to find the right composition of sand and paint needed to restore the Mark Twain Study to its original color.

A smooth brown paint currently adorns the Study where Mark Twain wrote parts of his most famous works, 包括《汤姆·索亚历险记, 《哈克贝利·费恩历险记, 《亚瑟王宫廷里的康涅狄格美国佬. 然而, recent research conducted as part of an ongoing renovation project to honor the Study’s sesquicentennial (150-year anniversary) this year uncovered that the octagonal building, 哪个在EC校区, was originally painted gray and then sandblasted (sand forcefully added to a painted exterior to give the building texture).

从左到右:博士. Joseph Lemak, Alex Whydell, Dr. 丹尼尔·贾尔，艾丽西亚·坎贝尔. 特雷弗·勃朗宁和伊莉斯·约翰逊-施密特.

Dr. 约瑟夫·莱马克，国家环境保护局局长 马克·吐温研究中心她与伊莉斯Johnson-Schmidt和她的团队在 Johnson-Schmidt & 保护建筑师协会 还有艾丽西亚·坎贝尔, 坎贝尔修复和咨询有限责任公司的所有者和负责人, to work out how best to restore the interior and exterior surfaces of the building. Yet this particular project requires some additional science know-how.

给n the wealth of expertise at 埃尔迈拉大学, the team invited several EC professors and 洁莎·巴顿，24岁, a 历史专业的学生 对修复感兴趣. 在一起, they will use their scientific and material science knowledge to track down missing details necessary to move ahead with the renovation.

“I think it’s wonderful that CMTS has the opportunity to work with EC faculty in the natural sciences, 美术, 以及社会科学. This project demonstrates the power of a liberal arts education here at 埃尔迈拉大学,” said Lemak. “CMTS is committed to taking an interdisciplinary approach to studying Mark Twain, 不管是他的短信, 他的生活, 或者他的世界. 我们鼓励Academics, 作家, and artists to let us know about the projects they are working on, 包括在历史保护领域工作的人.”

电子商务专家组成的团队包括:

• Dr. Daniel Kjar副教授 生物学

• Dr. 特雷弗·布朗宁，大学助理教授 环境科学

• 克里斯·朗威尔，副教授 艺术

• Dr. 维罗妮卡·摩尔曼副教授 生物化学

• Dr. Mark Pitner，亚洲历史副教授

• Jessa Barton, 24岁，主修历史

在项目启动的会议上, the team looked at a magnified image of a paint cross-section taken from the Study. It shows multiple layers of paint, many of which are some variation of the color brown. 然而, 第一层油漆是灰色的，含有蛀牙, 其中一些仍然有沙粒在里面.

当团队观看图像时, they discussed how the cavities are found deep in the thick coat of paint. The gray paint was at least twice as thick as subsequent layers, leading the team to question if there were two coats or one very thick coat.

Another question the team will explore is which method of sandblasting was likely used by the original crew. 书房建于1874年, the practice of sandblasting was typically used by the wealthier class. 例如, the main house on Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello plantation and George Washington’s Mount Vernon home were sandblasted.

There are three possible methods for applying the sand to the paint: add sand to the paint before it is applied to the building, 等油漆干了，把沙子扔在上面, 或者在油漆干燥时用气枪推动沙子. 初步研究表明，, based on the depth and distribution of the particles in the original coat of gray, 沙子很可能是在涂完漆后加进去的. 但没有人确定是否使用了气枪.

科考队还将试图找出沙子的成分. 例如, 这些沙子来自当地的沉积物吗, 在这个地区更远的地方, or was it purchased by one of the glass manufacturing companies, 如康宁玻璃厂(现为康宁公司)?

Left to right: Elise Johnson Schmidt, 艾丽西亚•坎贝尔, Alex Whydell, and Dr. 维罗妮卡摩尔人

The answers to these questions and more will inform the paint color and sand-blasting process used later to restore the Study to its original color. CMTS is applying for a grant from the Preservation League of New York to help fund the restoration of the interior and exterior surfaces of the Study. 与此同时, the professors intend to enlist additional students to aid in the research, 其中大部分工作将在夏季完成.