Schools

BCCC Offering Hands-On History Class at Washington Crossing Park

Introduction to Building Assessment, part of the Historic Preservation Program, includes field work at historic site; register by Aug. 26.

Are you a history buff? Well, Bucks County Community College is offering the opportunity to beef up your knowledge of local history.

BCCC is is offering a Saturday morning class that includes field work at Washington Crossing Historic Park.

Introduction to Building Assessment is a three-credit primer on how to examine a historic structure and its condition, and then prepare recommendations for repairs and interventions. 

Over the course of the semester, students will prepare a Building Assessment Report for the case-study building, which will be one of the historic structures in the park, according to information from the college.

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This class project will incorporate lessons from the lectures and the field sessions.  Field survey work will include measurement, photography, mapping of deteriorating conditions, and sampling of paint and mortar.

Patricia Fisher-Olsen, coordinator of the college’s historic preservation program, said the new course is the perfect combination of theory and practice.

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“This class allows our students to take theoretical knowledge and to apply it to a real preservation project—not a theoretical project from a book or a case study,” Fisher-Olsen said.  “As a class, they will work in teams to determine what happened to the structure and develop a plan for its restoration.”

And the setting can't be beat. 

“What also what makes this class a unique is that the site chosen is right here in Bucks County, at Washington Crossing Park.  Our students will have the opportunity to contribute to ongoing restoration work at one of our country’s most historic sites.” 

The class meets Saturday mornings from 8:30 to 11 a.m. from Aug. 31 to Dec. 14.

Lectures will be held in historic Tyler Hall on the campus at 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, with field work conducted just a short drive away at Washington Crossing. 

Introduction to Building Assessment (HIST 214) is part of 24-credit certificate offered through the Department of Social and Behavioral Science. For more information on the program, contact Pat Fisher-Olsen at 215-968-8286 or fisherol@bucks.edu. 

To register for the course, visitwww.bucks.edu/register or call Admissions at 215-968-8100. Registration deadline is Aug. 26.


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