Historic Structure Treatment Record: Best Secondary House

Shaub, Sabina

This Historic Structure Treatment Report (HSTR) is a statement of the preservation work completed by personnel of the National Park Service (NPS), Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC) from September 2023 through December 2024 at the Best Secondary House, located at Monocacy National Battlefield, in Frederick, Maryland. The Hermitage (Best Farm) Secondary Dwelling is believed to have been constructed sometime toward the end of the eighteenth century and acquired its present exterior appearance by 1798. It is attributed to the Vincendieres, a family of French planters who came to Maryland from the colony of Saint-Domingue, who established a plantation that they called L’Hermitage. By 1800, the Vicendieres possessed 90 enslaved laborers, making them the second largest slaveholders in the county. The Secondary Dwelling, along with the main house (CRIS-HS ID#045055) and the stone barn (CRIS-HS ID#045047), form a cluster of eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century structures that are attributed to the Vincendiere family. Although it has been extensively modified over time, the Best Farm Secondary Dwelling retains a great deal of historic integrity. At the request of Monocacy National Battlefield (MONO), the Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC) conducted a site visit of the Best Secondary House in August 2022 for the purpose of developing a cost estimate and Draft Project Agreement (DPA). HPTC Carpentry Section Exhibits Specialist Kyle Bernard and Exhibits Specialist Curtis Ward visited the site to investigate and document preservation needs from which to develop a potential HPTC day-labor preservation project. In response, HPTC proposed to conduct preservation work that would address cyclic maintenance tasks as identified by MONO and HPTC and outlined in PMIS #312545. This included the following tasks: • Repoint approximately 150 square feet of the stone foundation. • Repoint approximately 50 square feet of the exterior stone chimney. • Chimney mortar wash application. • Carpentry repairs to louvers and siding as needed. • Removal of the existing latex paint from the doors and jambs, and application of a breathable linseed oil paint. • Repaint approximately 2000 square feet of exterior siding with exterior finish paint. Work on this project was performed by Maintenance Action Teams (MAT) using Public Lands Legacy Restoration Funds (LRF), as authorized by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), activated into Public Law in 2020.

Historic Structure Treatment Record: Best Secondary House

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