dbachman@observer-reporter.com
When Dorothy Pence's family farm in Union Township was sold recently, her daughter, Caryn Taylor, wanted just one memento: an 1861 map of Washington County.
Pence, understandably, was a bit dumbfounded.
"Out of all the antiques I have from three and four generations, it's the only thing she wanted," Pence said.
The map had been stored for decades in the attic of Pence's grandparents on the J. Frank Zimmerman Farm, which bordered what is now Trax Farm in Finleyville.
"It's my heritage I guess you could say," Taylor said.
But there was a major problem with the map: It was tattered and torn.
"I wish I had taken better care of it," Pence said. "I love history. It has a lot of information on it. You have to like history to appreciate what's on it."
Enter Peter West, an artist and owner of World West Galleries in downtown Washington.
West previously had restored a mural of U.S. Steel Duquesne Works, painted circa 1920 by Harry M. Pettit, and he's incorporated pieces of history into many of his paintings. So, there was no doubt in the minds of Pence and Taylor that he was the man to restore their family heirloom.
Using the same care, precision and techniques that he did on the mural, West was able to restore the map, which measures 62 inches by 61 inches, and return it to its original glory.
"This map will live on forever now. That's the cool thing when you do restoration," said West, who received help restoring the piece from his wife, Robin, and artist Toby Fraley. "Visually, it's a great-looking piece."
But it was no easy task, and it took months to complete.
West began by building a rigid structure and covering it with an arhival primer similar to the color of the map. Next, he applied adhesive to the structure and the canvas. Since the canvas was brittle and would crack easily, it took a great deal of patience to accurately line up the six sections.
"That's the scary part," West said. "The goal was to get it nice, straight and square.
Once that mission was accomplished, West placed wax paper over the map, followed by a layer of wooden planks and finally cement blocks to apply extreme pressure so the map would adhere to the surface.
"When you take it all off, that's when you hold your breath," he said. "When you're working on an artifact, there's always the possibility of doing more harm than good."
Afterward, the map was cleaned, touched up and sealed with an acrylic varnish. Some of the age marks remain.
"We saved it from the abyss," West said. "It's interesting and fascinating to me. I'm interested in Washington County history. To be able to save an important piece like this is fulfilling for me."
The map holds a great deal of sentimental value for the 78-year-old Pence. Each of the communities is highlighted in small blocks along the border of the map, and each is accompanied by the names of the farms and physicians.
"I could identify with all the farmers in Washington County," she said. "They mostly were sheep farmers during that period. My grandfather had no sheep, but my dad did.
"If my grandparents saw what was being done with it, they'd be happy with it, as would my dad. Peter's done such a great job with this one."
Taylor plans to hang the map in her spacious family room. Eventually, she and her mother hope it finds a permanent home with the Washington County Historical Society.
"Then you know for sure it will be taken care of," Taylor said.