Pamela Watson

Historic Preservation Training Center, National Park Service

My internship involved working for the National Park Service at the Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC) located in the Gambrill House near Frederick, Maryland. My supervisor was the chief historical architect for HPTC, Mr. Thomas Vitanza. Along with another summer intern, I worked on a HABS/HAER documentation of the outbuildings surrounding the main house of the Thomas Farm, also known as Araby. The Thomas Farm is located between Frederick and Urbana, Maryland, and is the site of the Civil War "Battle of Monocacy, otherwise known as the "Battle that saved Washington." The outbuildings being documented at this farm were a smokehouse, well house, wooden implement shed and a stone tenant house. We also did a condition assessment of the Roulette Springhouse located in the Antietam Battlefield located near Sharpsburg, Maryland. In the condition assessment, we had to define the characteristics of the building, prioritize the need for attention and repair of the springhouse, and make suggestions as to the treatment of the work necessary to stabilize and restore the building to its period of significance. This internship was a wonderful experience as it allowed me to use many of the skills that I learned while getting a Historic Preservation degree.