The Mansion Revitalization Project continues to uncover fascinating layers of history. One area of focus has been replacing key structural elements, such as the summer beams in George Washington's New Room. These beams, significant framing components, offer insight into the evolving history of the Mansion while also presenting unique preservation challenges.
Preservation
Mansion Revitalization Project
Mount Vernon has embarked on a landmark preservation project to ensure the Mansion's structural integrity for generations to come.
What exactly is a summer beam?
A summer beam is a load-bearing beam in a timber-framed building. It’s the principal framing member that supports the floor joists. With a room as long as the New Room, summer beams are necessary to span the distance and support the load. In the 18th century, they would have been made of large wooden timbers.
The New Room’s summer beam, the large wooden beam running from left to right, is the principal framing member that supports the floor joists. (MVLA)
What's in a Name?
- The word “summer” is derived from an archaic English word sumpter, meaning a packhorse used to carry loads.
- If you prefer the old French derivation, it comes from a bête de somme, which was a beast of burden or mule.
- Whichever language you choose, the well-named summer beams carry the “burden” of the floor’s weight.
The New Room
After removing the floorboards of the New Room, Mount Vernon’s Preservation team had the opportunity to closely inspect the room’s summer beam.
The New Room originally featured two summer beams, situated on either side of the chimney stack to provide stability. During framing repairs in the early 19th century, however, it appears that the room’s west summer beam was removed and never replaced. The Preservation team suspected that the remaining summer beam was not original to Washington but was rather replaced during those 19th-century repairs.
To confirm this suspicion, the team employed dendrochronology—the scientific process of dating wood by analyzing growth rings. The results pinpointed the beam’s origin to 1838, decades after Washington’s death.
By taking a wood core sample of the summer beam, the Preservation team was able to use the science of dendrochronology to date the beam to 1838—39 years after Washington’s death. (MVLA)
Scheduled for Replacement
Knowing that the beam did not date to Washington’s era, the team decided to replace it (and its missing counterpart) to restore the house’s structural integrity. The new summer beams, which will be made of steel, will allow the team to eliminate supporting brick piers that were later additions in the Mansion cellar.
However, replacing such a critical framing member couldn’t happen immediately. Given the size and importance of the room’s summer beam, exterior shoring—temporary supports to maintain the house's stability—would need to be installed first. Once shoring is in place, the team can move forward with confidence, ensuring the Mansion’s safety while replacing crucial structural elements.
Director of Preservation Tom Reinhart (left) and Assistant Restoration Manager Steven Fancsali inspect the New Room’s summer beam. (MVLA)
Mansion Revitalization Blog
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