Early Road Location: The Key to Discovering Historic Resources?

About the report:

The paper describes a unique methodology used in surveying and documenting architecture along eighteenth century road systems in Virginia which could be used as a prototype in other areas. In the method described the historian geographer, and architectural historian collaborate in research in primary sources such as court records, as well as secondary ones including surveying and documenting the formal and vernacular architecture associated with such an early road system up to the twentieth century. Since it includes course work in the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia, it provides the student with a learning experience in interrelated disciplines outside the classroom and an introduction to the architectural patterns associated with an early road system as opposed to the usual town setting context. The paper also describes the origin of the collaboration, the early roads surveyed, the road order abstract methodology, the architectural survey course methodology and the results, future studies, and some of the developing applications of the process.

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