Roof
Growing the Blockhouse Roof
The Kolmakovsky Blockhouse, originally built on the banks of the Kuskokwim River in 1841, is included in the
museum's ethnology & history collection.
After years of storage and a stint on display for museum visitors, the roof was removed
from the blockhouse in 2006 due to questions of structural stability and safety.
In December 2009, the Save America’s Treasures Program awarded the museum $75,000 to preserve the Kolmakovsky collection.
After relocating the building to a tree-sheltered site on a new foundation and replacing a number of rotten logs, the preservation team completed the work on the blockhouse in the fall of 2011 by reattaching an updated roof outfitted with tundra sod and tamarack poles.
In August 2012, builder Sandy Jamieson began to fill in the gaps of the sod that had shrunk since its original construction. He hopes this dogwood plant-filled moss will take root on our blockhouse roof and provide a colorful palette year-round.
