Preservation in Practice

Join Manor Mill and the Preservation Alliance of Baltimore County on the fourth Tuesday of each month for a free meeting to discuss the many avenues and practices of preservation. We will be joined by preservation experts in fields such as American architecture, timber framing, masonry, window restoration, cemetery history and headstone cleaning, and many more. If you have a passion or interest in historic build preservation, this is the event for you to get involved and learn more!

Tuesday, January 27, 6-7:30PM

Restoration of 19th Century American Furniture
with furniture conservator, Andrew Alcarese of Dixon’s Antiques

Join Andrew Alcarese of Dixon’s Antiques for a deep dive into the world of 19th-century American furniture. Andrew will discuss the pros and cons of restoring an original finish versus starting fresh with a full refinish, sharing photos of past projects to show how to identify wood types, judge quality, and decide the best path for preservation. We’ll also talk shop about the specific tools and repairs needed to bring these period pieces back to life without losing their history. Whether it’s a simple cleaning or a total overhaul, you’ll learn exactly what to look for before the first tool touches the wood.

February 24, 2026
Topic TBD

March 24, 2026
Topic TBD

April 28, 2026 - Water wheel update!
This month’s Preservation in Practice will be a walk through of the water wheel in its current state of construction, with Robert Jones talking about the work to date, and next steps to completing and installing it. You can also get updates in the meantime on the Water Wheel page.

If you would like to learn more about preservation at Manor Mill or suggest a presenter or topic for Preservation in Practice, sign up for our newsletters below and drop us a message!

Past Preservation in Practice Topics

November 18, 2025
How to Build a Water Whee with Robert Jones
and Angelo Otterbein

October 29, 2025
Haunted Baltimore County with Joshua Bell author of Mysterious Middle River

September 27, 2025
Preserving Maryland's Plumbing Heritage with Chris Saffer
of Saffer Plumbing, Heating & Electrical

May 27, 2025
Preserving our Land: Grow Clean Water in Your Backyard with Gunpowder Valley Conservancy

April 29, 2025
The Rebirth of a 19th Century Grain Barn: Start to Glorious Finish with Stable Hollow Construction

March 25, 2025
Topic: Historic Windows - The Eyes of the Home
with Thomas Brown Woodwright

February 25, 2025
Topic: Preserve It Better: Borate Before Bandaids
with Jan Scopel

January 28, 2024
Topic: DIY (Do It Yourself): How to Research your Home’s History with Teri Rising

November 26, 2024
Topic: Conservation of wood, metal, ceramic and paintings with Kenya Browning Feeser

October 22, 2024
Topic: Histories and Mysteries with Mindie Burgoyne of Chesapeake Ghost Tours.

September 24, 2024
Topic: Historic Preservation Easements & Permits with Katherine Good

July 23, 2024
Topic: Timber Framing with Robert Jones

June 25, 2024
Topic: Restoring Manor Mill

May 28, 2024
Topic: Permaculture in Practice - Historic Landscapes

April 23, 2024
Topic: Window Restoration

March 26, 2024
Topic: The History and Restoration of Plaster

January 23, 2024
Topic: How to read a building

October 24, 2023
Topic: Cemetery history and headstone cleaning