Southern Breeze 2007 Summer Issue - (Page 55) At least a few of Beauvoir’s live oaks still stand, but in tatters like Beauvior itself (above). Beauvoir’s former executive director Patrick Hotard and acting director/ curator Richard Flowers stand amid the carnage and cleanup in Katrina’s wake (right). Mystic Seaport received its first truckload of “Katrina wood” in November, 2005 (below, left). A mighty live oak at sunset (below, right). Through the Mud and Back Again: Conserving Artifacts at Beauvoir While approximately $500,000 worth of historic artifacts housed at Beauvoir were lost to Katrina, the real story is what was found. More than 3,800 items were recovered from the mud and debris-covered grounds. “We were worried about looters,” curator Richard Flowers says, “but with all the slot machines lying open up and down the beach, I guess an antique rifle wasn’t that strong of a draw.” The condition of the salvaged artifacts ranged from virtually pristine to heavily damaged. Delicate glass vases floated to safety unscathed, while heavy pieces of the Davis family silver were found crushed and dented. Tiny poker chips and pill boxes were recovered from the back to Connecticut. In the facility’s shipyard, workers will use 19th century tools and techniques to turn the wood into timbers for the restoration of the 164-year-old Morgan. The restoration, expected to take three years, will breathe new life into the historic ship, which welcomes thousands of visitors each year who come aboard for guided tours and educational programs. Today, visitors touring the shipyard can see huge stacks of timber from fallen coastal oaks. Does he have enough wood? O’Farrell says, “We’ve got all we need for the Morgan, but we’re always looking for more. It’s such a great material. It doesn’t rot and decay so we can stockpile it and use it in another five or six years.” As the Mississippi coast slowly recovers from Katrina, residents take some comfort in the fact that their stately oak trees will live on. Nicole Learson, director of marketing for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau, says “We are very excited to be able to contribute what is part of our history and legacy to the history of our country.” Kathie Farnell is a native of Montgomery, Alabama and spent 20 years as an attorney before switching gears to writing travel articles. She now lives ten miles from the coast. mud, while a six-inch-by-six-inch square of canvas was all that remained of what was once a 10-foot-by-20 foot framed painting. The staff also found many items on the grounds that were not original to Beauvoir, including 47 refrigerators, a 30-foot yacht, a piano, and an alligator. Expert conservators have begun the painstaking work required to restore each piece of textile, wood, canvas, paper, or metal. According to Richard, the entire conservation process will not be complete until 2012. Beauvoir House is scheduled to reopen June 3, 2008, the 200th anniversary of Jefferson Davis’ birth. Many of the restored paintings, furnishings, and other artifacts will once again be on display, having survived not only the Civil War and the ravages of time, but also the greatest natural disaster in American history. —MARLO KIRKPATRICK Summer 2007 55
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