“Redwood, Whitewash, and Rusty Nails: The Resurrection of Cabin B.” Ever wonder when round nails replaced square? How to build a house without a frame? For several years Frank Perry has been working with UCSC staff, students, and community volunteers in restoring a historic lime-workers’ cabin at the Cowell Lime Works Historic District, UCSC. In this talk, Frank shared some of their curious findings and revealed what the cabin’s materials and method of construction tell us about the people who lived and worked there in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He also drew upon some of the archaeological research done for this site by SCAS member Pat Paramoure.

Frank Perry is a life-long Santa Cruz resident who graduated from UCSC as an Earth Sciences major in the 1970s. Frank has long been interested in the region’s natural resources and cultural history and has built many exhibits for local museums and park visitor centers. In 2007 he co-authored the book Lime Kiln Legacies: The History of the Lime Industry in Santa Cruz County, published by the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History. After publication of the book, he helped form the Friends of the Cowell Lime Works Historic District, which works to research, restore, and interpret the lime kilns and other district structures, which are on the National Register of Historic Places.