The Bellamy Mansion recently hosted Going Green, a free family event on Sunday the 16th. The weather was beautiful, which meant there were happy, smiling faces all around! Activities were held inside and outside of the house that included live music, crafts for children, exhibits with recycling ideas, weaving, chickens to pet, and tours showing how the Bellamy Mansion was built green-friendly. Over one hundred and fifty people attended, making it an educational and fun day!
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Restoration continues in the Slave Quarters at the Bellamy Mansion. Wayne, John, Mac and Tab of Heritage Restoration began their plaster work in the eastern room upstairs this morning. Plaster work is no easy business. It requires a lot of hard work and muscle to apply the thick gritty plaster onto the walls and ceiling. The mixture is made of sand, lime, and either hemp or horse hair. Today the workers are using hemp. The addition of the hemp fiber helps to bond and strengthen the plaster mixture. The hard workers begin by applying a first coat to the walls, called the scratch coat. The scratch coat takes a day or two to dry depending on the weather. The slower the plaster is cured the stronger it becomes. The walls and ceiling will receive three coats of plaster each. With each coat the workers put less and less sand into the mixture so that the lime becomes the major component. This makes the finished coat a lighter color that is much smoother than the other coats. The plaster process will take time to complete. Not many craftsmen are still skilled in plaster work today, which makes it somewhat harder to find available help. Wayne came all the way from Hillsborough to assist with this project. Luckily the Bellamy Mansion found hard working, skilled craftsmen to complete the job!
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About UsThe museum
offers tours, features changing exhibits, and provides venue space for
weddings and special events. 503 Market Street
Wilmington, NC 28401 910.251.3700 Tours: Tues - Sat 10am- 4pm Sunday 1pm- 4pm Categories
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April 2020
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