Deconstructing history isn’t easy. Turney puts hours of sweat into the process, prying out rusty nails that haven’t budged in more than 50 years.This is the second Quonset hut he’s helped reclaim in the past couple years. The patinaed metal will be a huge hit in his Palmer store.“Some people use it as wainscoting or on the trim of a bar,” he said.
Source: Deconstructing history: Alaska Picker salvages, upcycles WWII-er – KTVA 11 – The Voice of Alaska
Urban Ghosts is a great site for abandoned stories. This one about Kennecott mines in Alaska is poignant.
The last load of copper ore left Kennecott by train on November 10, 1938. The following day the abandoned mining camp was declared a ghost town, and is now a national historic monument.
via Kennecott Ghost Town – Once the Booming Centre of Alaska’s Copper Mining Industry | Urban Ghosts |.
“When you’re in the zone, when you’re out working, even if there’s something that’s perfectly good, you just want to get the job done, and you throw it away,” he said.
Now he’s come up with a way to address what he sees as a serious waste of resources, by integrating his construction expertise and his environmental focus. He’s currently laying the groundwork for a new business, Alaska ReUse, a repurposing store and deconstruction service provider. He plans to open on Shaune Drive in Lemon Creek later this summer. The new business will take usable waste and project overflow from building contractors and others, providing them with a green alternative to the landfill, while offering builders and homeowners a place to acquire materials and supplies.
Donig, a specialty contractor and owner of Authentic Woodworking, said the construction companies he’s talked to so far have been very enthusiastic.
via JUNEAU, Alaska: Juneau man plans repurposing store | Business | ADN.com.