Historic Preservation Training Center        

 

                 

National Park Service                       U.S. Department of Interior

 

Mailing Address:

Historic Preservation Training Center   National Park Service     4801A Urbana Pike Frederick, MD  21704

Telephone #:                  301-663-8206                  Fax #:                                301-663-8032

Regular Business Hours: 8:00 - 5:00 M-F

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  HPTC Mission Statement

 

 

 

The Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC) is dedicated to the safe preservation and maintenance of national parks or partner facilities by demonstrating outstanding leadership, delivering quality preservation services, and developing educational courses that fulfill the competency requirements of Service employees in the career fields of Historic Preservation Skills, Risk Management, Maintenance, and Planning, Design, and Construction.


 

 HPTC History

                                   The HPTC was founded in  1977 to meet the growing demand for craft skills development for NPS employees tasked with preserving the thousands of historic structures within the National Park System.  In 1995, the Center joined the NPS Training and Development Division to become one of four NPS Training Centers.

 The HPTC is currently located in Frederick, Maryland.  The headquarters/administrative office is located within the Monocacy National Battlefield at the historic Gambrill House.

  The Shop is located in the historic Jenkins Cannery building in downtown Frederick. The HPTC staff and trainees currently total approximately 70.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The HPTC utilizes historic preservation projects as our main vehicle for teaching preservation philosophy, building crafts, building technology, and project management skills. Our experiential learning approach emphasizes flexibility in addressing the unknown conditions encountered during the project and ensures that the goals of preservation are met.

The Historic Preservation Training Center in undertaking its mission is:

  • Training Preservation Craftspeople
  • Preserving Historic Resources Today
  • Promoting Historic Preservation as the Key to the Future

The major programs and services provided by the HPTC are:

  • A three year training program for the NPS Exhibit and Preservation Specialists
  • Services for the Treatment of NPS, Federal, State, or locally owned historic properties
  • Extensive outreach training programs aimed at building the skills of personnel responsible for the maintenance and preservation of historic properties

 

Recent HPTC Day Labor Masonry Project

Repair Fort Massachusetts, Gulf Islands National Seashore, FY-10/11

The primary objectives of this day-labor project were to correct damage to the Fort’s upper exterior elevations caused by Hurricane Katrina.  The hurricane removed/displaced coping stones, scoured earthworks along the upper reaches of the fort, eroded brickwork and damaged the replica embrasure shutter assemblies.  Corrective actions included the recovery and resetting of coping stones, reestablishment of earthworks, resetting and repointing brickwork and the fabrication and replacement of embrasure shutter assemblies.

 

View of Fort Massachusetts following Hurricane Katrina and prior to the initiation of corrective actions by HPTC.  Note missing coping stones along top of scarp wall and scoured earthworks.  90% of all coping stones were recovered in preparation for repair work.

 

View along the coping level during the resetting of recovered coping stones.  This phase of the project presented numerous challenges with logistical issues, handling of materials and maintaining the accuracy and quality of craftsmanship. 

 

View of the final stages of coping stone resetting.  Completion of this work required several replacement stones to be fabricated to replace missing stones.

 

View of brickwork and coping stone repairs associated with inner wall sections surrounding gun emplacements.  Displaced/damaged coping stones and brickwork were removed, reset and/or replaced.   

 

View of ongoing repairs to brickwork surrounding the sally port.  Deficiencies required numerous brick replacement and extensive repointing efforts. 

 

View of Fort Massachusetts during the latter stages of reestablishing coping levels and earthworks.  Earthen fill, geotextiles and sod are being installed.

 

Below are photographs of Fort Massachusetts at the completion of the project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Program Overview

2011 Annual Report                 2010 Annual Report