Assessing Environmental Conditions at Smith's Castle

FAIN: PA-51698-06

Smith's Castle (North Kingstown, RI 02852-4414)
Kari A. Van Buren (Project Director: May 2005 to March 2007)
Neil Dunay (Project Director: March 2007 to June 2008)

Consultation to assess environmental conditions that contribute to high relative humidity and mold in Smith's Castle, a National Register garrison-style trading post dating from 1678 that houses collections of 18th- and 19th-century furniture and paintings, bed coverings, clothing and accessories, decorative arts, and works of art on paper.

The Cocumscussoc Association at Smith’s Castle requests funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), to support a consultation concerning the problems of a severely damp basement in The Castle’s 17th century foundation. The moisture and accompanying humidity affects the building’s walls and the collections within; mold on the collections, walls and moldings is a visible example of the problem.