Garland Wood took a summer job as a carpenter at Colonial Williamsburg four decades ago because he wanted to put on “funny clothes.”

“It was a long summer job — 40 years,” he jokes.

The aptly-named master carpenter is going to hang up his British-made tools next month. One of his last official acts will be to demonstrate Tidewater timber framing techniques and give the keynote speech at the 2022 Working Wood in the 18th Century Conference, an event that runs from Jan. 20 to Jan 23.

Wood grew up in Williamsburg. He attended Walsingham Academy and was interested in history from an early age. He applied for a summer job at Colonial Williamsburg more than 40 years ago.

“Colonial Williamsburg used to hire a lot of people in the summer. I thought how much fun it would be to put on the funny clothes,” he said.

Wood was drawn to carpentry.

“I said that sounds cool. My dad had bought an 18th century house and started to fix it up at the time,” he said.

Wood, 61, said the job of working as a carpenter for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is very different from that of a carpenter in the commercial world. The team soon found itself researching building techniques from hundreds of years ago and building structures the way they were constructed in the 18th century while educating the crowds of people visiting CW at the same time.

“We learn the trade through a six-seven year apprenticeship,” Wood said, “You obviously like what you are doing and where else are you going to practice the trade?”

The specialist nature of the work means many of the workers remain at CW for decades.

“We’ve never had a regular carpenter apply to come and do this. They already have a trade and it’s completely different to the trade we teach here,” Wood said. “We have an eclectic group. There’s a singer in a band, a Marine Corps sniper, a juggler and a florist; people who got very interested in the woodwork and the historical aspect,” Wood said.

“We want the interest in doing the traditional work and passion for interpreting that work to the public, people who are able to do the detective work through research, grow the trade more, and people who are incredibly comfortable in front of the camera as we do more digital content,” he said.

Wood said his team built almost 50 buildings in Colonial Williamsburg over the last 40 years. Wood said the idea of creating new buildings with the tools and methods of the past was initially controversial back in the 1970s.

“A lot of people were not positive about the idea. The nice thing about the kind of buildings we were doing is that we were recreating buildings that were difficult to do with modern methods.”

The team used bricks made in Colonial Williamsburg. They made the nails, the window sashes, and other distinct features.

“We have people in Williamsburg who can make an entire house by hand apart from the window glass,” Wood said.

The first project was the building of the James Anderson Blacksmith Shop. In the 1980s, the team recreated the smithy Anderson used to make and repair iron tools from 1762 until 1780. The building was an early experiment in the use of 18th century building methods.

The building was rebuilt recently.

“We took down the blacksmiths shop and rebuilt it,” said Wood. “The early design was built to be an impermanent building. In those 20 years, we learned a lot about the building and applied new research. Another fun part of working here is that history is evolving as we figure out stuff.”

The team moved on to replace lost farm buildings, slave quarters and other structures that had vanished from the landscape.

“We have brick makers, bricklayers, carpenters, joiners and blacksmiths who can continue their talents,” Wood said. “It would be hard to hire a modern contractor to do that work with modern lumber. You get a better-looking product and something more interesting to the visiting public.”

The structures built by hand include outbuildings behind the Peyton Randolph House, the Market House near the Power Magazine and R. Charlton’s Coffeehouse. The team also undertook the renovation of the inside of the courthouse. CW had initially put in a plain interior after a fire.

Wood said striking a balance between building work and education remains one of the biggest challenges of his work.

“We needed to build the Peyton Randolph kitchen. We had a hard deadline. We also needed to talk to 2,000 people a day when we did it. You have to approach it differently to someone in the business trade,” Wood said.

“We have had very talented people come work with CW who washed out because they did not like people.”

The second major challenge has been ensuring buildings that conform to 18th century styles comply with 21st century codes and regulations.

“How do you build something for the 18th century and meet the challenges of the modern world? I have to pass building inspections like everybody else,” said Wood.

The master carpenter is upbeat about this year’s Working Wood conference. The event went virtual last year. While visitors will return in January, a virtual option is still available. Wood said the COVID-19 crisis forced the organizers to get to grips with new technology. The skills have proved useful for the 2022 event.

“It’s one thing to learn skills and techniques from talented craftspeople doing what they love,” he said. “But it’s something else entirely to do that in the context of a living, breathing, 18th-century community. The nuance you gain from experiencing this trade in a social and political context makes this conference unlike anything else out there.”

Other highlights of the workshop include furniture maker and artist Aspen Golann who will demonstrate the construction of a 1770s settee and explore how antique objects can inspire contemporary designs, master cabinetmaker Bill Pavlak demonstrating some of the carvings found on a series of ceremonial chairs made or used in Williamsburg, and joiner Amanda Doggett who will make a coffin.

In-person registration costs $395 per person and includes presentations, a welcome reception, conference reception and dinner, continental breakfasts, and coffee breaks. Virtual-only registration is $175 per person and includes access to all general session presentations. Attendees can register at colonialwilliamsburg.org. The deadline to register is Jan. 1.

David Macaulay, davidmacaulayva@gmail.com