Routine upkeep is returning to Station Camp/Middle Village, a National Park Service site on the Washington side of the Lower Columbia River that was created for the 2005 Lewis and Clark bicentennial and later expanded.
In late summer and early fall, crews resurfaced and restriped the parking area near the historic St. Mary’s Church. Another visible fix happened at the entrance itself, where Clatsop Community College historic preservation students repaired a fieldstone wall that had loose stones and sections that had fallen in since it was built.
The work was framed as a masonry workshop led by Joe Herman and his son, Matthew Herman, according to the college’s Historic Preservation program. Historian John Goodenberger, an adjunct instructor who coordinates preservation training, said the college reached out to the park’s facilities manager, Kevan Keegan, to set up the project. He also credited the local National Park Service as a long-time partner of the program.
For students, the lesson was practical and trade-focused. They were taught how to mix mortar, cut stone, set stones back into place, tool the joints, and clean the surrounding stone after the work. Goodenberger noted Joe Herman’s long career in the area and said he has passed that knowledge on to his son.
For contractors and owners who do restoration and repair work, this is the kind of training that keeps basic skills sharp. Repointing is not just cosmetic on a public-facing wall at an entrance. Loose stones and failing joints can quickly become a bigger maintenance problem.
Goodenberger said the Historic Preservation program is being paused and current degree-seeking students are being taught out as the college considers a broader “Construction Cluster.” The article also noted additional needs at the site, including deteriorated interpretive signage, plus a past redesign idea that was dropped after human remains were found at the location.
Read the full, original article from Chinook Observer here.