Dear Natalya,

 

Have you considered a paint analysis of the walls of your structure? Through microscopic analysis, and careful treatment, one can usually ascertain the paint colors used over time on any given surface. There are certainly many companies that specialize in this sort of analysis. If there are surviving walls with paint still on them, you should be able to ascertain the paint scheme used around 1904.  

 

One of the things you might also want to investigate is the use of “public” spaces (such as hallways, and courtrooms) within a courthouse versus “private” spaces (such as offices, and jury rooms) I would contact Dayton History out of Dayton Ohio, as they worked to restore the first floor of an 1850 era courthouse. I was also involved in this project for a time, and in the paint analysis we quickly discovered that the public areas of hallways were painted with a faux finish (to make an inexpensive material look more upscale) while the private offices were usually painted with a simpler paint scheme. (Yellows, creams, etc.) This focused on the 1850s however, we also found many layers of paint from later eras that surprised us, blues, greens, and layers of institutional white. If you are interested in contacting Dayton History- drop me an email off-list and I can put you in contact with folks over there. I believe they should still have the results of the original paint analysis that was done in the late 1990s.

 

I would also look up several books on historic paint schemes. Of particular help might be Paint In America: The Colors of Historic Buildings, by Roger Moss. This is one of the definitive books on the use of colors in buildings over time. It is available through Amazon, however it is now out of print, and so a bit pricey. A call to your local library might be a cheaper alternative. Another one of his is A Century of Color- Exterior Decoration for Buildings 1820-1920. He and Gail Caskey Winkler have also co-authored several other books on the use of paint, and historic colors in homes and buildings that might be of assistance.

 

Good luck on your endeavors!

 

Dan Schoeneberg

 

 

 

 

The Museum of Ashe County History is expected to move into a “new” home this Fall, the historic 1904 courthouse in Jefferson, N.C.  The preservation has proved a long and painstaking process and we are working on the final details.  One of the main issues we are trying to sort through is what color to paint the interior walls of the first floor.  Based on pictures of the courthouse around 1910, it appears that the walls were left as unpainted plaster and paint doesn’t show up until a photograph from ca. 1935.  So we are trying to determine what color they would have painted the walls closer to 1904, had they done so.  We don’t think that simply leaving the plaster as is would be an option, nor is the method of letting people smoke cigarettes indoors to achieve that historically-accurate yellowing effect. 

 

We have a few paint chip charts from Sherman Williams (Victorian, Arts and Crafts) and our historic preservation architect suggested they would have painted the walls a dark color (like a terra cotta) and a darker trim.  However, we think it might be best to go with something lighter and more neutral if we can justify the choice as historically appropriate. 

 

We are leaning towards painting the walls an off-white or beeswax color, with a white (or other light color) trim. Does anyone have any experience restoring historic courthouses from the period?  I’ve looked through photos of similar courthouses, and contacted the sister courthouse in a nearby county to see if they have any evidence of wall colors, but so far it has been to no avail.  Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

Cheers,

 

Natalya Hopper, Intern

MACH