Concerned with the lack of skilled artisans to repair the historical structures of America, one private college works hard to fill that gap. The American College of Building Arts is a private learning institution located in Charleston, South Carolina. They are bringing up the next generation of blacksmiths, carpenters, stone carvers, and more. Their emphasis is on training highly skilled craftsmen able to create new and also restore historical landmarks. Their students, upon graduation, have ended up all over the world and across the United States. They have repaired famous landmarks like Mount Vernon, but also have made their own impact on American architecture by creating structures that are built to last for hundreds of years.

My father-in-law worked for NASA back in the 1960’s. Before sending a man to the moon, they practiced their lunar exploration exercises in Arizona. One day they noticed an old, native American man watching them at work. The astronauts approached the old man and explained to him what they were doing. They told him they were planning to send a man to the moon, and asked if he would care to write a note in his native language that they could take to the moon. The old man nodded his head and wrote something in Navajo. The NASA guys were unaware of what the note said until they got back to Houston when they had it translated. The note read, “You better watch these guys, they’ll try to steal your land.”

Chair and Professor of Heritage Masonry and Stone Carving