Great Smoky Mountains Natl. Park — The historic Noah "Bud" Ogle Cabin has been preserved. Last year, a storm tore off the cabin's porch. Friends of the Smokies funded the restoration collaboration project between the park's Forever Places team and a "strike" team from the National Park Service Historic Preservation Center.
In two weeks, the nine-person team used reference photos and traditional methods to restore the porch. Project leader Adeline Wisernig said traveling to preserve historic structures is her passion.
"As a training center, historic preservation often focuses on monuments and somewhat larger structures," Wisernig said. "But I think it's equally important to protect and tell the stories of more vernacular cultures and everyday people."
She said when restoring buildings, they try to stay as true to history as possible using the same tools and methods.
"We're kind of on the same path as a lot of people that were before us," she said. "We see the marks in the wood and you're like, oh somebody was here maybe 100 years ago and then you get to make your mark right next to that. It's just about keeping those trades alive."
One member of the team who's excited to keep old methods alive is Zander Richardson, a park intern. His family used to visit every year and now he works in the park four days a week.
"When I was a kid, I figured it would be a pretty great idea to work in the park every day," Richardson said. "Have the forest as my office. So I thought it'd be a pretty great opportunity if that became available."
Richardson works in their traditional trades advancement program and said it's important to preserve history for younger people.
"They still learn these methods and still get to be alive for new generations to come and to come see them every day," he said.
Friends of the Smokies President Dana Soehn said the organization has raised three-fourths of its $9 million goal to preserve buildings in the park.
Soehn said there are several more projects planned for next year already including in the Catalooche, Greenbrier and Cades Cove areas.