Sara Gdula
Sara Gdula presenting her research methods for investigating the construction and preservation of the Raymond Farm during a lecture in September of 2018
"The New Hope Experiment: An Investigation and Conservation Plan for the Antonin and Noémi Raymond Farm"
Sara Gdula is a recent graduate of University of Pennsylvania’s Masters program in Historic Preservation and made the Raymond Farm the subject of her thesis. It is entitled, “The New Hope Experiment: An Investigation and Conservation Plan for the Antonin and Noémi Raymond Farm” and it investigates the farm’s construction history using research methods such as mortar analysis, infrared thermography, environmental monitoring, analysis of the farm’s fasteners, hardware, and molding, alongside archival document research. Sara’s research resulted in a comprehensive chronology from the 1730s through the Raymond period, as well as an initial material condition assessment that can be used in future preservation planning.
In September of 2018 she gave a lecture outlining her thesis, presenting her recommendations for future preservation, and took visitors on a brief tour of the farmhouse to show some of the material fabric documented in the presentation and certain diagnostic clues that contributed to evidence of chronology and condition.
To read Sara’s full thesis or see photos highlighting diagnostic clues, please visit UPenn’s Scholarly Commons.