September 17, 2020
Following minor damage caused by an early August tropical storm and an EF1 tornado three weeks later, Bob Zoni and several volunteers were able to finally reinstall the "hoisting wheel" inside of the Talmadge Cider Mill Barn.
Check out these photos taken by Betsy Gorman.
(Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on the image)
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August 4, 2020
Tropical storm Isaias drops major league tree on Cider Mill Barn
(Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on the image)
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Monday, August 3 - Bob Zoni climbing to the roof to finish re-shingling the Cider Mill Barn.
| August 4th: Tropical Storm Isaias left his calling card - yet another tree to re-damage the barn. [*sigh*]
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| J.D. House on August 4th |
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"It's enough to make you cry!"
For the last several weeks, work to repair the Talmadge Cider Mill Barn has been winding down. Since the end of July, Bob Zoni has been in the final phase of restoring the barn following the devastating May 2018 tornado that nearly destroyed the 220-year old structure.
On Monday afternoon, August 3rd, Bob called town historian Dave Johnson and asked him to stop by the barn to take photos of the new cedar-shingled roof being installed - one of the last phases in the building's retoration. Just 24 hours later, Tropical Storm Isaias rumbled through southern Connecticut.
After the storm blew through the area on Tuesday afternoon, Bob wisely decided to check on the Dickerman House and Cider Mill barn. Arriving at the site, he noticed that a large tree had fallen in the front yard of the J.D. House. He went home to grab his camera.
When Bob returned, he was shocked to see that an even larger tree had landed across the front of the Cider Mill Barn. Ouch!
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| August 4: This was the scene that greeted Bob Zoni after Isaias left the area. |
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| August 7: The was the damage that was revealed once the tree debris was removed. |
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It was not possible to check for damage until the tree was removed, which happened two days later.
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On Friday, August 7th, Hamden Historical Society president Ken Minkema and Bob met to assess damage to the barn. The tree pushed in and breached the siding above the double doors, and damaged some of the facia along the roof line.
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At left and below: Ken, Bob and Annie from Shutts Tree Service make preparations for removal of yet another tree that is a potential threat to the barn.
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August 3, 2020
Bob Zoni is shingling the roof
(Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on the image)
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Bob says the repairs to the Talmadge Cider Mill Barn should be completed well before Labor Day!
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Bob has been shingling the south side of the barn roof for the past week and expects to finish the north side sometime late next week or early the following week. It all depends on the weather.
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Cider Mill Barn: The Rebuilding Begins
With the Dickerman House well on its way to complete restoration, Bob Zoni is now zeroing in on the Talmadge Cider Mill Barn. Last May's tornado nearly destroyed it.
Wth warmer weather coming, Bob is dismantling the barn in order to repair the main structural components. He will then reassemble the components in much the same way as when the barn was moved to its present location from West Woods Road in 1993.
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| The Talmadge Cider Mill Barn just before it was dismantled for restoration - CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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| March 28 - Completely dismantled above the stone foundation - CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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| 1993 and 2019 - Bob Zoni poses in front of the stone foundation before the barn is re-constructed atop it. CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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May 20, 2020
Bob Zoni and his crew assembled and erected the five bents that make up much of the barn framework.
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Each photo featured from here to the bottom of the page may be enlarged by CLICKING on the image.
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| Bob and his crew preparing for a day's work |
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| Gerry Saindon's Crane Service will move the beams from the parking lot to the barn floor |
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| Beams needed to be moved up to the barn floor |
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| Hoisting the first beam up to the barn |
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| Ed Stetson (left) and Bob preparing to assemble the first bent |
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| The art of preservation: Old and new wood epoxyed together. |
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| Aligning the peg holes in the first bent |
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| Three bents up by lunchtime! |
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| Crew member Kevin Collins does some "persuading" |
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| Sometimes you must drill a fresh hole for the peg. |
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| Trimming the tenon to slip into the mortise |
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| A little persuasion and they fit together nicely. |
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| This is how it looked at 5 o'clock. |
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| The crew that put it all together: Ed Stetson, Bob Zoni, Gerry Saindon, Kevin Collins and step-uncle Eric Hurd, Larry Coulter, and George Talmadge. |
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June 3, 2020
Installation of the rafters completes the framework.
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Assembling the roof rafters completed the framing on June 3rd.
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Check out the then-and-now comparison photos below of Bob Zoni in 1993 and today.
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| 1993 and 2020 - Bob Zoni atop the completed framing. Great job! CLICK TO ENLARGE |
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June 12, 2020
Bob Zoni and Kevin Collins installed the roof decking, consisting of 1" thick, 12" wide red oak boards, 13' to 16' in length.
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| Bob and Kevin nailing the red oak desking to the rafters |
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| Kevin Collins at work on the decking |
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| After the roof decking comes the siding. |
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June 16, 2020
Installing the siding
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| Kevin Collins foots the extension ladder for Bob, who is fitting a piece into place. Kevin is currently in training classes that he hopes will lead to a career in firefighting. |
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| The light colored boards are new, replacing the ones that were not repairable. The darker pieces of siding, numbered at the bottom, are the original boards from 1993. There are 32 in all on the long sides. |
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June 24, 2020
Bob Zoni completes the siding
(Any photo may be enlarged by clicking on the image)
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| Bob clamps one of the pine siding pieces after repairing a longitudinal crack. |
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| Those dark marks are where epoxy was applied to repair woodpecker holes. |
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| 1993 dedication plaque is returned to its original place. |
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| Bob is shown here ready to pack it in after a long day installing siding. |
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| Bob will be tackling the wooden roof shingles next. |
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