Back in the olden days when I lived in the Boston area, we’d see historic houses going down the road from time to time. It wasn’t anything shocking since it happened fairly often. The narrow, congested, hilly, and windy roads made it a bit of a challenge for movers and an inconvenience for the rest of us. It was easy to be patient, though, knowing that a piece of 200- or 300-year-old history was being relocated for whatever reason. We all grinned and beared it and then went on with our days, never giving it a second thought.
Fast forward to 2019 when Melissa Silvio, vice president of the Valley Historical Society, contacted me about documenting the move of the historic Little White Schoolhouse. I said, “Sure, glad to,” but I was also thinking — no big deal. I’ve seen this a bunch of times.
But I’d never seen it like this.
The world of structural movers is unlike anything I’d ever experienced, and I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to see it first-hand. Jeff Monroe and Don Shaw — both third generation structural movers — came into town with a frenzy of energy. These guys were like rocket scientists who work in the dirt: knowing physics and math, carpentry and engine repair, and more, playing a mean game of life-size Jenga with supports. I had never before seen the way buildings were jacked up off their foundations onto supports. One of my favorite parts was…
