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| Wes Dryden points to the different layers of finishes on the original door frame. It appears that the first finish was faux graining, commonly used by Mormon pioneers to make softwood structures appear to be hardwood. It then appears the door was painted a solid color, and re-grained with a new faux graining. This was done in the 80s under the direction of Newell Hart. |
Preston carpenter decoding pioneer secrets to OSA's front door
By NECIA P. SEAMONS
After
painstaking deconstruction of the historic Oneida Stake Academy building’s
front door, local carpentry artisan, Wes Dryden, has been able to determine a
few of its secrets.
Originally,
he thought the door’s frame was made from long-length boards that were bent
into shape. Not so. They were made from several smaller pieces of wood, cut to
fit a curved opening left by stone masons as they constructed the front of the
building.
And,
although power tools were not used at anytime during the original construction
of the building, Dryden has uncovered clues that at least some of the interior
woodwork was cut on a mechanized saw over a century ago.
“See these
indentations on the backs of the molding? That is how boards are moved along an
assembly line,” he said. Research seems to indicate hat the closest mill would
have been in Brigham City, so it is possible the molding was made there.
According
to the history of Brigham City, there was a planing mill and carpentry
department of the Brigham City Mercantile and Manufacturing Association
(Brigham City Co-op). This association was initially started in an effort to
comply with the
Territorial Incorporation Act of 1870. Almost every resident of the community
was involved in some way.
Dryden
began working on the door last fall, after making an analysis of the door
before bidding its restoration. Board members of the Oneida Stake Academy
Foundation had determined from old photographs, that the doors hanging on the
building during the last several decades are not original. The small windows at
their top were the clue, as they did not appear in the earliest photos of the
building.
Dryden said
the wood used by the pioneers for the door he took down, was pine, painted to
look like a hardwood – a practice known as graining, which was commonly applied
by Mormon pioneers to enhance the beauty of the buildings they were
constructing. Artists using feathers, cheesecloth, paintbrushes, paint and
washes would reproduce the look of hardwoods, marble or leather on the soft
pine that was prevalent in the local forests.
Dryden is
making the door to appear is the pioneers had hoped. He has duplicated the
millwork on it, and expects to install the replicated door and door frame in
May.
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| A view of the OSA's door in 1920. |
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| The current view of the academy's doorway. The red door has been hanging in the doorway for many years. It will be replaced with a replica of the original door design. |
