On a drizzly June afternoon, a small group from Sweet Briar College took a field trip to Tusculum, an 18th-century plantation home located off Route 29 in Amherst County. Upon their arrival, they found the 3,500-square-foot structure being tediously deconstructed, piece by well-crafted piece.

Tusculum, before deconstructionIts white oak skeleton was exposed; its many windows – a testament to the original owner’s affluence – still hung in their frames. Primitive tool marks, wooden pegs, and handmade nails and bricks were all evidence of the fine work accomplished by the builder more than 250 years ago.

Deconstruction is the first step in a plan to move Tusculum six miles down the road to the Sweet Briar campus. Built in the Federal and Georgian styles popular in the mid-1700s, the home is significant because it was once owned by the Crawfords, one of which –Maria Antoinette Crawford – was the mother of Sweet Briar College founder Indiana Fletcher Williams.

Three years ago, when Sweet Briar officials learned the home was to be demolished to make way for new construction, they jumped at the chance to preserve the historic gem. “I’m so excited about this,” College President Elisabeth Muhlenfeld said. “I’m so pleased we’re able to have a part in this.”

Timothy Robinson, owner and president of Heartland Millwork and Restoration.Timothy Robinson, owner and president of Heartland Millwork and Restoration and a 27-year veteran of historic home restoration, was hired by Sweet Briar to complete the dismantling effort. Because of the “tooling and techniques used,” he estimated the home was built in about 1750, adding “It’s the earliest type of frontier work that I have ever seen.”

A wealth of information when it comes to 18th-century construction, Robinson said the huge beams, weighing three or four tons each, were meticulously crafted with such tools as the broad ax, block plane and two-man pit saw. “Every time I get into one of these things, I’m just stunned at how well they are constructed, this one in particular,” he said.

Roman numerals etched into the framework.Outside, Robinson pointed out Roman numerals carved on the framework so the builder could ensure each board was properly placed. Inside, he explained how the quality and height of the wainscoting indicated the social stature of the occupants, as did the number of panes in the windows.

Robinson said the home was built in two stages, with the second built within the “same generation” as the first. The nine-over-nine windows in the newer section were an obvious indicator of wealth. “That’s a statement. ‘I want windows and I can pay for it.’ ” he said.

According to Sandy Botton, major gifts officer at Sweet Briar, the cost to deconstruct and move Tusculum to Sweet Briar has been estimated at $150,000. Once on campus, an estimated $500,000 will be needed to rebuild the structure. The entire project will be funded by private donations.

Deconstruction should be complete by the end of June.

The brick maker or builder carved his initials "EHC" into one of Tusculum's many fireplaces.Although the future plans for Tusculum have not yet been determined, Botton said the structure may serve as a museum and resource for Amherst County. “It would be a Sweet Briar museum but also incorporate and address issues concerning the development of the county and how [the Crawford] family was involved in the settling of Amherst County,” she said.

Regardless of its function, Robinson emphasized the importance of preserving the structure for future generations. “If you don’t save these two- or three-hundred-year-old buildings, you won’t be able to see how we built them,” he said, adding, “You definitely have a treasure here.”

– By Suzanne Ramsey, SBC staff writer