Locals volunteer time, labor and materials to repair historic Fort Borst Blockhouse
A crew from Kifer Construction works to make renovations on the historic Fort Borst Block House in Fort Borst Park in Centralia on Thursday, June 20.
KODY CHRISTEN / KODY@CHRONLINE.COM
With the ground finally dried out enough to support the weight of the structure on jacks, construction workers from Kifer Construction in Centralia, Lewis County Historical Society members Edna Fund and Peter Lahmann, retired carpenter Scott Tenant and others came together at Fort Borst Park as they worked together to repair the historic blockhouse on Thursday, June 20.
Repairs were needed on the blockhouse’s south face, as two fir logs on the structure had rotted to the point where it appeared they might fail, leading to the collapse of the whole structure. Kifer Construction Project Manager Sharla Allebaugh told The Chronicle custom jacks were built by Tenant to support the Blockhouse while the volunteers worked to remove the rotted wood and replace it with new fir wood.
“We took out the bottom one first, and we cut into the damaged log and it just shattered. When they went to take it out, it just fell apart,” Allebaugh said. “Now it’s a matter of getting (the new wood) to go back in and be secure.”