Hold on to even small pieces that came off historic home in the tornado, experts say

If you live in one of the historic homes that was damaged in the tornado, don't throw away any debris that came from your home.  

Pieces that may seem to be trash or just storm debris could be essential to preserving the structure’s historical integrity, which is paramount in keeping the structure listed on the National Registry Of Historic Structures. 

The smallest piece that has been blown off the structure could help craftsmen recreate what’s needed to properly restore the building, according to Ed Barnes, an expert in historical architecture and construction of historical structures. He along with J. Alex Mebane-Reinburg have the 501c3 Atlantic Heritage, which travels around the eastern part of the United States assisting historical societies and individuals repair and restore historic structures.  

“The main things you want to look for are any old pieces of wood that could be structural members or decorative members,” Barnes said. “You want to keep any of those pieces you find. To be on the safe side, keep everything until you can get a good look at it. The idea is to gather it all together to see what you have before you throw it away and regret throwing away something that is not replaceable.” 

Barnes also advised historic home owners that even the most broken piece can often be repaired. Materials used in the past were far superior to anything used today. Historical homes were built with old growth wood, “but your general run-of-the-mill contractor is not going to be using old growth wood that they have gone to a lot of trouble to source,” Barnes said.  

Finding someone to repair your historic home properly can be hard, according to the experts at Atlantic Heritage.Not everyone has the experience and knowledge to repair historic structures properly.  

Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr. and a number of other civic leaders have already voiced the warning multiple times to be very cautious about hiring contractors. “If you are talking to people who are contractors, make sure they have a city permit, a city license to do business here,” Perkins said. “Make sure they are bonded and insured. If they are not, don’t do it. You need to wait and make sure they have the proper credentials. Because if they don’t have a city license, that means they may not be credible, and if you give them your money, you may not get it back.”  

Even reputable contractors with the proper credentials to work in the city may not be qualified to repair historic homes. Mebane-Reinburg said, “They need to show you photographs of the buildings they have worked on and the work they have done.” He also said even though there are standards for contractors doing work to get certain tax credits, there is no actual certifications for contractors to work on historic buildings. To work on historic buildings requires knowledge of the materials and the methods. 

“There are four historic districts in Selma, and each one of those are composed of X number of contributing buildings and properties,” Barnes said. “It would be a shame for the city to lose some of those historic designations because the integrity of the buildings that make up those historic districts has been so compromised by repair work that has been done.”  

Those designations are ways that owners can get tax credits, and the historic designations help attract tourists to the city.