Last-minute preparations are underway as the Columbus Pilgrimage Jubilee of Homes is set to kick off Thursday.
Running through April 16, activities center on three different home tours and various themes for each week.
One of the homes prominently featured in Pilgrimage activities is Temple Heights at 515 Ninth St. N.
While being on one of the tours, the home of Mark and Kathy Novotny will host a Lunch and Learn focusing on the Native American populations in the region on March 31 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Temple Heights will also host campfire conversations and a campout with Joe McGill, Slave Dwelling Project founder on April 8-9.
Like many of the homeowners participating in Pilgrimage, the Novotnys have been busy making their home ready to accept the thousands of visitors expected to tour more than 20 homes during the month-long event.
In the grain
One of the people helping the Novotnys prepare their home is Jack May of Nashville, Tennessee.
In recent weeks, he has been practicing his trade as a master wood grainer at the home, painting interior and exterior doors as was done in the past as a way to help preserve the wood but to also make an ordinary pine door look like mahogany or something more expensive.
May, who calls himself a decorative artist, started the work as an apprentice in college.
“I apprenticed with an old gentleman who was probably 75 or 80 years old in Birmingham (Alabama) back in the 1950s,” May said as he dipped a brush into a paint can filled with a paint mixture of the colors burnt sienna and burnt umber and mineral spirits to create a dark “grain” pattern over an exterior door already painted a lighter shade of brown.
Graining is a decorative art that was done regularly until at least the 1950s, not only in houses but in cars and other things needing a wood look. Creating a faux marble finish on a wooden column at a house also would be considered part of this craft.
May uses several different size brushes to create wood grain patterns. For a door, he would create what’s called book matching, in which panels would have the same pattern because of how it would have been cut. Some brushes get a coat of paint from the can. Others are dry and brushed over the wet paint to create the pattern.
“I work these patterns,” he said. “It’ll set up for me and I’ll work on it some more. … It’s not necessary to have any fancy brushes.”
He holds up a brush with a circular tip, like something used for applying blush.
“This is a makeup brush. It’s my blender,” May said. “Watch what I’m going to do right here.” He dabs the brush over the wet paint and the lines blend together a little. “See? I softened that.”
As a decorative artist, May does his best to imitate what would have originally appeared at Temple Heights or any other property he has worked at.
Graining was used all over the world.
“It’s an art form,” he said with pride. “Actually this door is prettier than an actual mahogany door.
“It pops; stands out.”
May, who also paints landscapes and has worked as an art professor, hopes to help pass on his craft and is writing a book about graining. He said it will be a standard providing homeowners an insight into what needs to be done, while helping decorative artists do their job.
Since starting his career, May has seen how the field of historical preservation has become more scientific. Technology allows for the analysis of paint samples, portions of walls and more. People now know what colors were originally used in a home, how it was built and how to best preserve it.
He noted that restoration should pay homage to the history of a house without going overboard.
He specifically pointed to Hermitage, President Andrew Jackson’s home in Nashville, Tennessee, as an example.
“Jackson had run of the mill furniture and he had a run of the mill house. His house is no better than this house,” May said, nodding to Temple Heights.
“The columns at Jackson’s house, the Hermitage, were made in town and they were made of strips. They’re god-awful looking, but you would be wrong to go and tear that off and put marble ones on and say, ‘I’m going to gus it up because this is the president’s house.’ … Jackson didn’t have money in the first place. His wife had money, but very little. … We should respect what’s there.”
Pilgrimage tickets
Science — more specifically the internet — has also had an impact on Pilgrimage. Tickets are being sold online for the first time at the Preservation Society of Columbus’ website, preservecolumbus.com/ .
Novotny noted that while the tours occur, the other events allow people to learn history in a different, interactive way. One added feature this year is a QR code at each tour site, allowing people to learn about a property while they wait to take a tour inside the home.
The nonprofit’s membership is made up of historic home owners and experts in historic preservation and interpretation.
May noted that one of the great things about Columbus’ historic homes is the wide variety.
“The town is a wonderful town because you have so many houses in such a wide span of styles,” he said.
Pilgrimage Jubilee of Homes, March 24-April 16
Schedule of events for March 24-31
Thursday
■ 10 a.m.-11 a.m. History Walk — The Women of The W. Led by Columbus native and Mississippi University for Women volunteer archivist Steve Pieschel, this tour is an historically based interactive experience. Meet at the front gates of The W on College Street.
■ 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch and Learn — Rightfully Hers: Loyal Daughters and the Vote. Bridget Smith Pieschel will discuss the women of Old Columbus and their role in the suffrage movement. Lunch will be at the historic Puckett House on the grounds of Mississippi University for Women.
■ 2-5 p.m. History for Sale. Tour will allow people to look at historic homes — Snowdoun, 906 Third Ave. N. and Camelia Place, 416 Seventh St. N., that are available for sale throughout Columbus. A Realtor will answer questions regarding buying such structures.
Friday
■ 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Pilgrimage Jubilee of Homes — Blue Tour. The Blue Tour features Aldan Hall, the Stephen D. Lee Home and the Haley Reeves Home.
■ 2-5 p.m. Pilgrimage Jubilee of Homes — Green Tour. The Green Tour features Riverview, the Amzi Love Home and Rosedale.
■ 7-10 a.m. You have been summoned for jury duty! Delve into the case of Laura Young Whitfield and take your seat in the jury box at Columbus City Hall to decide Whitfield’s fate. Afterward, you are invited to her home, Baskerville Manor, for champagne and light hors d’oeuvres.
Saturday
■ 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Pilgrimage Jubilee of Homes — Purple Tour. The Purple Tour includes Temple Heights, The Haven and The McGahey Apartment.
■ 2-5 p.m. Pilgrimage Jubilee of Homes — Blue Tour. The Blue Tour features Aldan Hall, the Stephen D. Lee Home and the Haley Reeves Home.
■ 7-10 p.m. Tennessee Williams birthday party special event. Celebrate Williams’ 111th birthday with cake, live music and beverages at Munson and Brothers, 301 Second Ave. N.
Sunday
■ 2-5 p.m. Pilgrimage Jubilee of Homes — Green Tour. The Green Tour features Riverview, the Amzi Love Home and Rosedale.
March 31
■ 10-11 a.m. History Walk — The Mayor’s Welcome Walk. Mayor Keith Gaskin will take you down Columbus’ most iconic streets. Meet at Columbus City Hall.
■ 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch and Learn — The Native American Experience: A Celebration of Native American History. Jonathan Hooks, an associate professor at The W, will explore the history of the three major tribal nations of the region — the Natchez, the Choctaw and the Chickasaw. Native American cuisine will be prepared by Chef Martin Wages, owner of Table of Plenty. Will take place at Temple Heights.
■ 2-5 p.m. History for Sale. Tour will allow people to look at historic homes — Snowdoun, 906 Third Ave. N. and Camelia Place, 416 Seventh St. N., that are available for sale throughout Columbus. A Realtor will answer questions regarding buying such structures.
■ For more information on any of the events or to buy tickets online, visit preservecolumbus.com. Pilgrimage schedule will be published Sundays in the Dispatch’s Lifestyles section.
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