About
The Falmouth Field School in Historic Preservation is a three-week, three-credit program in applied historic preservation held on-site in Falmouth, Jamaica. Designed for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, the field school engages many aspects of the practice of preservation in the culturally diverse and economically complex context of the Caribbean. Students will learn a variety of skills, ranging from the conservation of historic brick masonry and timber framing, to recording threatened buildings through detailed measured drawings, to including learn how to " read" the historic fabric of a building.

Directed by Professor Louis P. Nelson, of the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia and Matthew Webster, Director of Architectural Conservation at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the field school will include lectures and field studies Edward Chappell, Director of Architectural Research at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and other scholars and practitioners. In Falmouth, the field school is supported by the local efforts of Falmouth Heritage Renewal, a non-profit preservation organization with over a decade of experience in historic preservation in Falmouth.

The Field school is designed for advanced undergraduate (3^rd and 4^th years) and graduate students from the School of Architecture. Applicants from other departments and other universities will also be considered. Students will be required to complete some preliminary reading in preservation field techniques and architectural conservation as well as some reading on the history of Jamaica.

Faculty
Professor Louis Nelson offers lecture classes and research seminars on American architecture to 1850, the Early South, and the Caribbean. His interest in the Colonial South has led him past the "sacred 13" colonies where his fieldwork in Jamaica and the Leeward Islands has resulted in some of the first systematic recording of eighteenth-century English architecture in the Caribbean. His first article on the subject focuses on Jamaica and will appear in Perspectives in Vernacular Architecture X.

Work Schedule
Students work daily Monday - Friday with occasional evening lectures and discussions. Weekends are student's free time to enjoy Trelawney's beaches and other attractions. Of note are the natural wonders of Glistening Waters, only a ten-minute drive from Falmouth. The markets, beaches and other attractions of both Ocho Rios and Montego Bay are approximately one hour from Falmouth. Falmouth Heritage Renewal does not own any large vehicles, so students will be responsible for their own transportation to these sites in taxis or on Jamaica's public transportation system.

Colbeck Castle

Students will have the opportunity to participate in optional field excursions on the two weekends to historic sites across the island, including New Seville, Good Hope Estate, Colbeck Castle, and Spanishtown. For additional information regarding historic preservation in Jamaica, visit the Jamaica National Heritage Trust website (www.jnht.com).

Accommodations and Meals
Room and board are included in the cost of the field school. Students will be housed in a newly renovated two-story stone building in the heart of downtown Falmouth. Built in the early nineteenth-century as a Masonic lodge, the building served for much of its life as a Baptist manse. The building has a large workshop on the first floor and a number of dormitory-style sleeping quarters on the upper floor. Students should be advised that these accommodations assume multiple students per room and although fans will be provided, these rooms are not air-conditioned.

Students will be provided with three Jamaican-style meals per day, a breakfast, a packed lunch, and a hot supper. Special diets can be accommodated. Located in the heart of the historic district, the Baptist manse's location allows easy access to the local markets and stores.

Program Information
Falmouth Field School in Historic Preservation
(ARH 5605; 3 credits)

2008 Class on Balcony of 18^th century Assembly Building in Spanishtown

Course Information
FALMOUTH FIELD SCHOOL HOMEPAGE

2010 ARH 5605: Syllabus
2010 ARH 5605: Program Guidelines

Students Repointing Brick Wall

Study Abroad Policies
Refund policy
Withdrawal and Refund Policy

Important
Tropical diseases, malaria in particular, are a concern. For more information, consult the CDC website: wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationJamaica.aspx

Cost
Program costs are listed in the "Budget Sheets" link at the top of this page. In addtion to these, students are responsible for the following expenses:

• International Airfare
• Textbooks and course readings
• Some meals
• Some local transportation costs
• Personal expenses

Further Information
Program Director:
Louis P. Nelson
Architectural History Department
PO Box 400122
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA 22904
lnelson@virginia.edu

Stripping Old Paint