Mary,

Before I got into conservation I spent many years as a blacksmith,
gunsmith, and as a researcher into early American crafts and
technologies.

I would caution you not to go overboard in lighting the historic grist
mill space. One of the major interpretive features of any historic
workshop / industry is the fact that they only had available light
-candles were expensive. So often activities that require detail work
are often situated right beneath windows. Areas that are dark, such an
the anvil and forge in a smith's shop, are deliberately left that way
so that the smith can accurately read the color (temperature) of the
metal. I have many friends in the industrial archaeology community who
make fine sense of intepreting shop foundations and remains by
precisely understanding this point. The modern sensibility of light is
significantly different from even our great grandparents time.

I would first of all double check the architecture and layout to make
sure that it has not been altered in later years: are all the windows
there, has any of the equipment been moved. Make sure that all the
windows and doors are open and walk study the space throughtout the
day and also during different lighting situations (clouds and rain vs.
sunshine) - take photos!

I would suggest absoute minimal lighting to highlight certain features
if the available light does not - but do it intelligently so that the
direction of the ambient light is matched by the artificial light. If
the general area is kept dim you can use baby spots to highlight any
features with low wattage bulbs. You might even do a lighting plan
that allows you to have different sets of lights for different
interpretive uses of the space.

Much depends on how you interpret the space, you can take one approach
if you have tours conducted with guides or docents and quite another
approach if the tour is essentially self-guided by the visitor, and
then a very different approach if the mill is a working craft
demonstration area.

I love mill sites - many visitors think of them as bucolic park type
environments but it is great to pooin out just how much human
enginnering significantly altered the natural landscape and
environment to provide the head of water to power the mill - not to
mention the necessity of roads or navigable water adjacent to the mill
to move the product to markets and customers.

All Best Wishes,
Dave

David Harvey
Conservator
Los Angeles CA

On 9/19/07, archives <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Clarke Co.Historical Assoc. owns the working 1785 Burwell-Morgan Grist Mill
> in VA.  We need help knowing how to place unintrusive lighting on the grind
> floor and the gear floor that will light the exhibits (gearing/stones,
> etc.) and also make the mill safe for visitors/millers. (Ceiling is large
> beams and open to next-floor wood floor)
> We have bought a book called 'Lighting Historic Structures' by Phillips,
> but hope somewhere there is info on the subject from other sources.
> Internet searching so far come up with more reproduction type lighting
> which is not what we want.
> We also use the ground (grind floor) as part of our bi-annual art show, but
> that lighting will be in conjunction with the basic lighting & temporary in
> nature.
> Any help appreciated.  Mary Morris, Archivist
>
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