AMHERST — On the main floor of the Simeon Strong House, long, thick pieces of rough-cut wood, many of which date back to the home’s 1750s construction, rest on short pillars made from both large and small stones.
Exposed after removing the wide-plank flooring and subflooring during renovations to stabilize the Amherst History Museum’s longtime home at 67 Amity St., the uncovered floor joists near the main entrance also provide insights into the construction techniques used in constructing one of the town’s oldest buildings.
For Michael Emmons, director of Historic Preservation & Architectural Research at Historic Deerfield, who recently toured the building with representatives from the Amherst Historical Society and Teagno Construction Inc., this area above the home’s crawl space appears to have held up well over nearly 300 years.
“Structurally, these are good-sized joists, well supported on stone piers,” Emmons said.
Noticing the logs in the round and the heavy timber framing, Emmons said the lumber was likely taken from a nearby stand of trees and possibly dragged to the property and then hewed on site.
“They built it solidly, for sure,” Emmons said.
But due to the sagging floor and significant moisture problems on the north side of the building, the renovations require replacing the joists and beams with modern ones, and removing and replacing the stone piers with concrete ones.
The excavation and removal of the existing stone foundation and footings will occur during the installation of a new concrete block foundation and sill at the north wall. This work is supported by a $275,148 grant from the town’s Community Preservation Act fund.
Emmons laments that these changes are necessary. “It’s a bit of a shame to get rid of this historic craftsmanship,” Emmons said.
Gigi Barnhill, president of the Amherst Historical Society, said there was little choice in making the changes, though, due to concerns that floor deflection was quickly worsening.
Barnhill said that problems with the back wall of the space triggered this, as a crack developed when the north wall began to drop.
With work in progress, the hope is to reopen the museum to the public next spring or summer, possibly coinciding with the completion of the neighboring Jones Library’s expansion and renovation at 43 Amity St.
The Amherst Historical Society was founded in 1899 by Mabel Loomis Todd, the first to edit and compile Emily Dickinson’s poetry following her death. The organization then moved to the Strong House in 1916, following a bequest from Sarah Emerson, whose will stipulated no changes be made to the building, including keeping her four-poster bed intact in what was her bedroom.
In summer 2025, a large portion of the collection, as well as exhibit space, workspace and offices, moved to the Amherst History Center on Boltwood Walk, a site that will continue to be used into 2027.
“I’m happy to see what this is looking like,” Barnhill said. “We’ve never had such a clear view of the stone pillars, or the woodwork.”
She also points to nail holes in the wood beams. “It’s clear the flooring had been taken up many times,” Barnhill said.
Emmons suggested that measured drawings should be done to reveal what exists and that historical documentation should be done so the archival evidence isn’t lost before removal. Though some of the beams could possibly be brought to Historic Deerfield and used in renovations there.
Those with Teagno, the construction company, note that the work has shown the existing problems.
Ron Senn, the foreman on site, said one issue was the knob-and-tube wiring strung below the crawl space and the leaking plastic hoses that once carried heated water to radiators.
Crews have also found that, over the years, the joists have been compromised, apparently shored up with small rocks from time to time, Senn said.
The remaining work, with the new foundation being put in place after stacks of cribbing hold up the north wall, will involve digging below the floor by hand before pouring concrete and rebuilding the floor on top of that.
Teagno did some stabilization two years ago, and previous structural analysis reports provided guidance on needed work, including in the attic space above the third floor. There, Teagno secured the gambrel roof structure that was beginning to sag and separate. This will provide needed stability for any heavy snow loads during the winter.
“Now we have a solid structure up there,” Barnhill said.
In addition to CPA funding, the Amherst Historical Society secured $97,000 from a Massachusetts Cultural Council Cultural Facilities Fund grant. “We’re fortunate to have the state funding on top of the town funding,” Barnhill said.
Still, more long-term work could be done at the building; a consultant’s report outlines another $2.5 million needed for providing an accessible entrance, overhauling the heating, ventilation and air conditioning and upgrading other mechanical systems.
The society will seek other funding sources for that work.
