Workshops By Date
Instructor: Richard Eckert
This introductory workshop is designed to provide a basic working knowledge of early 19th century tinning tools, construction techniques, and pattern layout. The history of American tinning is covered in an illustrated talk. Students will construct several reproduction items such as a waiter, a one-pint mug, a wall sconce, and more if time permits. All projects are based on traditional designs, using period tools and methods.
Eastfield has been known for its high quality tinsmithing programs for many years. This new two-day program will allow those at the beginning of their journey into the world of historic tinsmithing to gain fundamental skills and knowledge. The more advanced five-day instruction will be held in August.
No previous experience is necessary.
Duration: 2 Days
Date: May 23th - 24th 2026
Includes:
All tools and tin
Limited to: 8 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
May 23
Instructors: Bill Remsen & Ian Stewart
In this Conservation Assessment Bootcamp, participants will learn the basic techniques building conservators use to understand how a building is aging and how to intervene in ways that prolong a building’s life—the essence of our work as preservationists. With around 30 historic structures, Historic Eastfield Village has no shortage of case studies to explore and is the perfect site to study these principles.
This introductory workshop is geared towards historic building owners who would like to better understand how to maintain their historic buildings and historic preservationists from the public history or cultural institutional fields who’d like a window into the work building conservators do to answer the question of what’s up with that building and what do we do now? However, all are most welcome!
Day 1 will consist of a presentation and discussion of conservation assessment principles and ways to approach looking at buildings with an afternoon walk through of the Village as a group to see the methods in practice.
Day 2 will make use of the Village as the preservation laboratory it was always intended to be! Participants will split up into teams and be assigned a building to put the principles they learned on Day 1 into practice. The resulting work from the weekend will be used by the Historic Eastfield Foundation to better plan preservation projects around the site!
This workshop will be taught by Ian Stewart and Bill Remsen, co-founders and co-owners of Preservation, Inc., a firm that works all over the world developing conditions assessment reports, preservation plans, and undertaking building and site conservation.
This project is in part funded by the Historic Preservation Education Foundation. Through this generous support, we are able to offer half of all registrations at no cost for qualifying participants. Lunch will also be provided to all participants.
To apply for a grant-funded registration, please submit a one-page Letter of Interest that introduces yourself, explains how this workshop will help you achieve your goals, and why you should be awarded the scholarship. Everyone is welcome to apply! Priority will be given to early career professionals in the building trades or historic preservation fields, college students in related fields, and those in trade or technical education programs, including apprenticeships, community colleges, or tech schools.
Requests for funding will be determined on a rolling basis until filled. To submit a scholarship request, please email eastfieldvillage@gmail.com.
Duration: 2 Days
Dates: May 30th - 31st 2026 (2 Days)
Includes:
Limited to: 20 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
May 30
JUN 7
Instructor: Rob Cagnetta
This two-day workshop introduces homeowners to the fundamentals of historic window restoration, including how traditional wood windows function, how to assess their condition, and how thoughtful repairs can improve durability and energy performance. Through demonstrations and discussion, attendees will gain a clear understanding of window disassembly, paint and putty removal, glazing, repairs, and long-term maintenance. Participants will learn to evaluate which repairs are appropriate to undertake themselves and which may be better deferred or contracted out. By the end of the workshop, homeowners will be better equipped to care for their windows responsibly, safely, and efficiently.
The curriculum includes current Lead Safe Guidelines for window restoration, emphasizing practical methods to reduce lead hazards while preserving historic fabric.
All participants will go home with their own basic window repair kit.
Duration: 2 Days
Dates: June 6th - 7th 2026
Includes:
Window Repair Kit
Limited to: 8 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
June 6
Instructor: Ian Stewart
This 4-day Introduction to Preservation Carpentry workshop will teach participants the fundamental skills necessary to undertake a preservation carpentry project on one of the many historic structures at the Village. This workshop will follow the Conservation Assessment Bootcamp held in May and build on the diagnostic skills acquired in the Bootcamp. Utilizing the preservation priorities determined in the Bootcamp, participants will plan and undertake a carpentry project that will aid the Foundation in preserving the Village.
The Carpentry program can be taken as an extension of the Bootcamp or as a stand-alone program. In tandem with the Bootcamp, the workshop will empower participants to bring their knowledge from the classroom to the field to the work bench. This soup to nuts approach will give the less experienced a snapshot of the work to determine if it is the right career for them, to give historic home owners the basic skills to take on small projects on their own homes, or offer professionals in the field the opportunity to expand their skillsets or update their knowledge in an accessible way.
Day 1: Introduction to tools, hand skills, and wood identification
Day 2: Scope and plan a small carpentry project
Day 3: Undertake project
Day 4: Complete project and debrief
This project is in part funded by the Historic Preservation Education Foundation. Through this generous support, we are able to offer half of all registrations at no cost for qualifying participants. Lunch will also be provided to all participants.
To apply for a grant-funded registration, please submit a one-page Letter of Interest that introduces yourself, explains how this workshop will help you achieve your goals, and why you should be awarded the scholarship. Priority will be given to early career professionals in the building trades or historic preservation fields, college students in related fields, and those in trade or technical education programs, including apprenticeships, community colleges, or tech schools. March 15 is the deadline to submit a scholarship request to the Foundation at eastfieldvillage@gmail.com. Selected participants will be notified by April 1.
Duration: 4 Days
Dates: June 13th - 16th 2026
Includes:
Materials
Limited to: 8 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
June 13
Instructor: Robert LoMascolo
The printing press was fundamental to spreading the ideas that would lead to and sustain the American Revolution. Many of the most prominent leaders of the time were involved in the printing process, from Benjamin Franklin to Paul Revere, John Dunlap, Isaiah Thomas and many others. Posters and broadsides were especially critical as a way to communicate ideas, rally support, and announce events, spreading this information to even the most far flung areas of what would become the United States of America.
In this two day workshop, students will create their own poster or broadside using the remarkable collection of type and historic equipment at the Historic Eastfield Village print shop, a circa 1845 shop originally home to the Columbia County Agency for the Celebrated Crawford. Students will learn the basics of letterpress printing from hand-setting type to operating an iron hand press.
No printing experience is needed. Participants are encouraged to bring a few lines of text or a basic idea of what they would like to print.
Duration: 2 Days
Dates: June 13th - 14th 2026
Includes:
Materials
Limited to: 5 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
June 13
Instructor: Rabbit Goody
This two day program will be a combination of lecture-based and hands-on workshop. You will learn the fundamentals of dating and identifying the fabric of home production. Using the primary source material written by Hannah Hayden, you will get a window into vernacular textile production during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Participants are encouraged to bring their own textiles for dating and identification.
Your registration includes lunch and treats.
Duration: 2 Days
Dates: June 20th - 21st 2026
Includes:
Materials
Limited to: 20 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
June 20
Instructor: Andrea Myklebust
During this two-day workshop, participants will learn how to grow, harvest, ret, break, scutch and hackle flax fiber to produce flax fiber for spinning and other uses. We will learn how to use a distaff, and will explore spinning linen yarns with handspindles and spinning wheels. No prior spinning experience required. If you have a working spinning wheel you'd like to use, you are welcome to bring it.
Duration: 2 Days
Dates: June 20th - 21st 2026
Includes:
Limited to: 8 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
June 20
Instructor: Heleny Cook
Weave a lovely willow basket for the garden, the Farmer’s Market, for odds and ends and oh so many uses. You will learn the basic and important techniques of Stake and Strand basketry. The finished product will be approximately 11” in diameter and 8” high. You will also learn the pleasures and challenges of growing willow, how it is harvested or foraged, and how it is prepared as a weaving material.
This class is designed for beginner and intermediate weavers. All materials and tools will be provided.
Duration: 2 Days
Dates: July 11th - 12th 2026
Includes:
Materials
Limited to: 6 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
July 11
Instructors: Lance Petersen & Deborah Bayly
This three-day artist retreat is an opportunity for artists to learn 19th century techniques and methods in the unique and inspiring setting of Historic Eastfield Village. Participants will learn to draw the figure as done in the 19th century, both indoor nude modeling and outdoor modeling in period costume.
Plein Air Painters are invited to explore and paint the village’s historic campus that includes over 20 structures dating from 1789 to 1840. Although instruction is primarily for oil painters other mediums are also welcome.
Suggested materials lists will be provided upon request and registration.
Day 1: Introductions and Overview.
Painting in plein air. Outdoor/indoor depending on weather
Lesson: Ink drawing, Drawing with chalk
Day 2: Painting in plein air. Outdoor/indoor depending on weather
Lesson: Figure Drawing – outdoor/indoor depending on weather
Day 3: Painting in plein air. Outdoor/indoor depending on weather
Lesson: Figure Drawing – outdoor/indoor depending on weather
Duration: 3 Days
Dates: July 17th - 19th 2026
Includes:
Limited to: 10 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
July 17
Instructor: John McMillen
This long-running workshop returns as an essential offering at Historic Eastfield Village since the first oven was built at a workshop in 1980. This 5-day course begins by providing an in-depth study of the American fireplace & oven through an illustrated lecture of regional types & construction materials. A large collection of original fireplace & oven materials, hardware & fittings are available for examination at Eastfield. Students working in groups of 3 or 4 construct a fireplace & oven using salvaged brick & lime mortar.
Duration: 5 Days
Dates: July 27th - 31st 2026
Includes:
Limited to: 8 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
July 27
Host: Michael Carver, the Regimental Brewmeister
Outside of the church, the tavern was the most important institution in most towns. Taverns were used as meeting places for political assemblies and business; places to share news, swap stories, and spread ideas; the site of travel crossroads and community-building. Strangers and neighbours alike came together in these common spaces. It was in the colonial tavern that the revolutionary spirit launched our nation. Without taverns, it is likely that the various colonies would have remained separate and subject to the greater British Empire.
During this evening program, patrons are invited to a night of storytelling and merriment, during which they can enjoy an 18th Century tavern experience complete with period beer and cocktails, competitive toasts, various entertainments such as parlor games and tavern songs, and maybe even a rousing political debate that would have been commonplace in the late 18th century.
Patrons will enjoy a groaning board and sweet treats along with the many beverages that will be available for purchase.
Note: All attendees must be 21+. Proof of age will be required. Drink tokens may be purchased onsite. Non-alcoholic beverages and food are included in the price of the event.
Date: August 8th, 5pm - 11pm
Includes:
Dinner and non-alcoholic beverages
Limited to: 40 People
More: Workshop Information
Aug 8
Instructor: Michael Carver, the Regimental Brewmeister
This one-day workshop will combine two popular programs, instruction and demonstrations on 18th century brewing and hands-on colonial cocktail building. Led by Michael Carver, the Regimental Brewmeister in period presentation, this workshop will introduce participants to the methods, brews, and experience of a brewer from 1778. You will hear stories of the American Revolution and the variety of ways beer aided in the health and spirits of revolutionaries. In the Cocktail building program, participants will learn the history of tavern and parlor cocktails in the 18th Century, including preparing several cocktails they might have encountered in a tavern in British Colonial America in the 1770s.
All participants must be 21+. Proof of age will be required.
Class Agenda:
Introduction: High level overview of Tavern Culture in the 18th Century
History of beer, wine, and spirits in Colonial America
Antiscorbutic Preparations: How the Navy created the modern cocktail
First Cocktail preparation: Thomas Gimlette’s Gimlet
Extending the Shelf-life of Beer and other Brews: Rattleskulls and Fences
Second Cocktail preparation: the Hawthorn Fence
Medicinal Cocktails: Flips and Toddies
Third cocktail preparation: Hot Ale Flip
Social Drinks: Cocktails of High Society
Final Cocktail preparation: Fish House Punch
Date: August 9th, 10am - 4pm
Includes:
Limited to: 20 Students
More: Workshop Information
Aug 9
Instructor: Jack Sobon
This two-day course will serve as an introduction to traditional timber frame carpentry as practiced in 18th and 19th century New York and New England. It combines classroom slide presentations with hands-on demonstrations using period tools and techniques, and with the timber framed buildings of Historic Eastfield as a backdrop. It is geared toward those involved with the restoration of historic structures, owners of historic properties, and general enthusiasts of historic building methods.
Schedule:
Day one, morning: A history of the Dutch and English building traditions of New York and New England
Day one, afternoon: A study tour of Historic Eastfield’s timber framed structures
Day two, Morning: Demonstrations of 18th century timber frame carpentry
Day two, afternoon: Demonstrations of 19th century timber frame carpentry
Duration: 2 Days
Dates: August 15th - 16th 2026
Includes:
Materials and Tools
Limited to: 12 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
Aug 15
Instructor: Eric von Aschwege
This three day carving class will focus on low-relief and incised techniques historically used in decorating arms, furniture, and other small period items. The workshop will give students an opportunity to study historic design principles, explore different carving methods, and learn how to utilize a small, budget-friendly selection of tools to achieve professional results. Students will learn proper sharpening techniques, practice drawings, and then carve those designs. For practice, the instructor will supply “try stocks” (blanks of wood shaped like a musket butt stock) or students can choose to carve on a board of maple, walnut, or cherry.
Even in challenging times, people have always decorated their everyday wares–household tools, firearms, instruments, furniture, and so on. Carving was nearly always found on civilian arms, as it didn’t use additional materials and labor was the cheapest part of production. Within regions, often within specific communities, particular styles of arms and their decorations evolved to become distinctly “American.” In New York, a unique combination of Dutch, French, and English influence can be found in carving and overall styling on guns manufactured before and during the American Revolution. Students will learn these various influences and try their hand at the design and carving process.
Students may bring their own unfinished "in the white" flintlock projects, with prior approval from the instructor. Students are encouraged to bring their own small furniture or houseware projects such as small stools, chairs, or boxes. Materials for carving will also be provided.
Note: A 4-8mm, 60 degree V parting tool chisel is required for use in class and is not included in the course fee. Students who already have one should bring their own. Please contact us if you would like the instructor’s recommendation. The instructor will provide additional chisels to share.
Duration: 3 Days
Dates: August 18th - 20th 2026
Includes:
Limited to: 8 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
Aug 18
Instructor: Richard Eckert
Students with prior experience or those who have taken the Introduction to 19th Century Tinsmithing will expand on their skills by making more complex items of their choice. These items may include coffee pots, tea canisters, trunks, tin kitchens, and tin bakers. The history of American tinning is covered in an illustrated talk. All projects are based on traditional designs, using period tools and methods.
This five day program will run concurrently with the Advanced 18th Century Tinsmithing taught by Steve Delisle. Workshop participants must select one of these two programs but will benefit from the programs being held alongside each other.
Students must have prior experience or have taken the Introduction to 19th Century Tinsmithing in May.
Duration: 5 Days
Date: August 24th - 28th 2026
Includes:
All tools and tin
Limited to: 4 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
Aug 24
Instructor: Steve Delisle
Students who have taken prior tinsmithing classes and/or have good hand-eye coordination will become familiar with early tinplate handwork techniques using only stakes and hand tools. The projects offered can include a small, unwired cup (gill), a tumbler, a mug, a porringer, a tinderbox, a camp kettle or even a coffeepot depending on time and skill. Of note is that all the objects are patterned from artefacts existing during the time of the American War for Independence and used by both civilians and the military of the period - and earlier.
This 18th Century Tinsmithing program will run concurrently with the 19th Century Tinsmithing program taught by Richard Eckert.
The instructor will present an overview of early tinplate work history. The tools and tinplate are supplied by the workshop.
Duration: 5 Days
Date: August 24th - 28th 2026
Includes:
All tools and tin
Limited to: 4 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
Aug 24
Instructors: Eric Goodson & Beth Holmberg
For a thousand years Europeans and Americans used simple foot-powered pole lathes to turn all sorts of wooden products, from bowls to chair legs. Pole lathe turning is a satisfying, portable, off-grid technique, but one of the big obstacles to getting into this craft is acquiring the necessary tools (which are unique to working on a reciprocating lathe). In this five-day course, students will learn both turning and blacksmithing skills, forge their own hook tools and then use those tools to turn one or more bowls. Topics will include coal fire use, basic and advanced forging techniques, steel selection, improvised forges, and tool hardening, “tip up” and “tip down” tool design, tool sharpening, wood selection, safe ax technique, various turning techniques, bowl design, and drying, painting, and oiling the finished bowls.
This course is appropriate for both first-time and more experienced pole lathe turners. By the end of the course, students should have the necessary knowledge and experience to make tools and turn bowls on their own.
While no previous experience in either craft is required, forging and bowl turning are physically challenging activities that require a certain amount of stamina and coordination.
Duration: 5 Days
Dates: August 31-September 4, 2026
Includes:
$150 in Materials
Limited to: 6 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
Aug 31
Instructors: Chris Mills & Erika Sanchez
In this two day, hands-on workshop, participants will make multiple types of housepaint (oil-based, limewash, and distemper), using traditional materials and methods. Paints will be ground on a muller and slab, as well as in a paint mill. Materials will include: linseed oil, animal glue, dry pigments, and chalk. Students will also learn about historic brushes and brushing techniques.
Duration: 2 Days
Dates: September 26th - 27th 2026
Includes:
$75 in Materials
Limited to: 8 Students
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
Sept 26
Instructor: Becky Hendricks
Think open hearth cooking and fine dining are an oxymoron? Think again! Let’s take advantage of the wide variety of fall-harvested fruits, vegetables, and other traditional fall foods this three-day weekend to prepare and then dine on six sumptuous hearth-cooked meals, all while learning proper fire management and cooking techniques for the hearth and bake oven. The menu includes over 20 “receipts” from period sources ranging from 17th C Paris (LaVarenne) and Amsterdam (The Sensible Cook) to 17th and 18th C London (Glasse, Smith, Dodsley) and early 19th C America (Lee, Rundell, Child). All cooking tools and ingredients are provided and participants at all skill levels are welcome!
Overnight accommodations within the Village encouraged, as Class will run from 1 pm to 7 pm on Day 1, from 9 am to 7 pm on Day 2 and from 9 am to 3pm on Day 3, providing participants dinner on Day 1, lunch and dinner on Day 2 and brunch and an early dinner on Day 3 (to facilitate participant travel home).
Please note: Workshop not suitable for those with nut allergies.
Duration: 3 Days
Dates: October 2nd - 4th 2026
Includes:
All Food and Materials
Limited to: 6 Students
More: Workshop Information
Workshop will start at 1:00 pm on the 1st Day.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
Oct 2
In 1996, nine ceramic historians gathered at Historic Eastfield Village for the first “Dish Camp”, to talk about all things British and American ceramics. Bringing together ceramic historians, archaeologists and practicing potters, they created one of the first forums in which research and practical experience were studied across interdisciplinary lines. Since that time, the workshops have continued to explore the mechanics and meanings of ceramics from across the world. To mark the 30th Anniversary of Dish Camp, we will explore the past, present and future of ceramic scholarship and recount the contributions that so many have made to this remarkable field.
Lunch provided daily; a hearth-cooked dinner at Briggs Tavern on Saturday night also included.
The speaker roster will be forthcoming. Student rates are available. Please contact eastfeldvillage@gmail.com for more information.
Duration: 2 Days
Dates: June 26th - 27th 2026
Includes:
Lunch both days
Dinner on Saturday night
More: Workshop Information
All workshops begin at 9:30am on the first day of the program.
All participants must be 18+ years old.
June 26