RED HOUSE — Ryan Trail is tucked away in an area off ASP Route 2 in the Red House Area of Allegany State Park. Most of the cabins needed maintenance and new roofs. One was boarded up and headed toward possible demolition.
A representative from the national group Historicorps was looking for a project in Allegany State Park. And now, the cabins have new inhabitants.
Historicorps staff train volunteers who stay a week or two. They get three meals a days as they sleep in cabins they are restoring.
The group plans to restore a boarded up cabin on the trail that park officials were afraid would be otherwise demolished, said Allegany Regional Director Jay Bailey.
Historicorps provides the manpower and the state park is providing materials and equipment. The cabins were rented this summer up until the time Historicorps showed up at the end of July.
Bailey said he was pleased with the work that has already been done in the time Historicorps volunteers have been working.
“They are scheduled to be here through October,” Bailey said of the Historicorps crews. “It’s a great opportunity for the park to be able to partner with Historicorps to restore these cabins.”
The Allegany green color of the cabins will be changed to brown, he said, but more than the paint will be different.
“We’ve already replaced the roofs on five of the 10 cabins,” said Craig Asher, 51, a Long Island native now living in Oregon and Mexico, who is directing his first project with John Bales of Hannibal, Mo.
Asher, a civil engineer who used to restore parking garages in New York City, said he had found his calling — particularly working on these historic cabins in the middle of Allegany State Park.
“We have a safety circle first thing in the morning,” Asher said. New crews get a safety orientation. Each day they are reminded of the dangers of the job and how to to avoid injuries.
Other than a few people who come down to see the project and ask questions, Asher said it has been pretty quiet for the first three weeks of the project, for which there are two crews.
“We’re doing great,” he said. “Production is good and we love working on these cabins.”
A new crew comes in Sunday nights and works through until Friday at noon, Asher said. Some volunteers stay more than one week.
“This is a beautiful area with a lot of history,” Asher said. “The cabins on this trail were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.”
The size of the crews vary on how many volunteers are directed to the Allegany State Park project by Historicorps home office. This week, Asher said there were 13 volunteers in addition to the four staff members.
“We still need volunteers,” Asher said. “Especially a stone mason for when we start working on the piers under the cabins. Asher said his first job for Historicorps was six years ago in the Grand Tetons.
One couple who are volunteering this week, Dayl and Rand Valasco of Burlington, Vt., said they found the job on Craigslist. They were priming window frames on one cabin. Others worked on flashing around chimneys and caulking cracks in the exterior boards.
Tom Crawford, of Denver — where the group is based — simply Googled outdoor jobs and Historicorps popped up. He jumped at the chance, and shares cooking duties with Spencer Siebeck.
The lunch bell rang when they were done putting out the makings for sandwiches and chips. “Lunch” shouted Siebeck.
“There’s no better feeling than being productive all day. Even the food tastes better at dinner,” Asher said.
Volunteers, who come from all over the country, learn new skills, Asher said. Besides replacing roofs, they’ve had to do siding repair, some structural repairs and some foundation work. The cabins will then all be painted.
“Putting our hands on these cabins gives us an understanding of these historic structures,” he added.
To sign up as a volunteer, go to www.historicorps.org.
(Contact reporter Rick Miller at rmiller@oleantimesherald.com.)
