Well, we’re over the hump for summer. Surprisingly, the weather has remained relatively pleasant – we’re holding the dog days at bay. Last Friday, we said goodbye to our first summer intern, Ellen Boggs, but we also welcomed our second intern for the summer, Paige Ritter. Paige comes to us from the University of Georgia’s Master of Historic Preservation Graduate Program (MHP) and will be entering her second year in that program this fall.

To say Paige’s resume is impressive would be an understatement. Already she has put in a good many hours with the Georgia Museum of Art as a docent and contributed on projects for the Watson Mill Bridge and The Georgia Trust. Additionally, Paige arrived to us fresh off of a 5-week excursion to San Gemini, Italy where she was part of the San Gemini Historic Preservation Studies program and worked on a restoration project for the Church of San Carlo.

Intern Paige Ritter restoring some cast iron pieces at Foxfire.

A native of Marietta, Georgia, Paige earned her Bachelor’s of Applied Science in Diversified Agriculture from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, GA in 2016. In her current course of study, Paige has put in class hours in historic preservation design, interpretation, resource assessment, American architecture, and geophysics. Her primary research interests currently center around the transformation of historic structures into exhibition spaces for historic interpretation. To that end, she will be adding greatly to museum enhancements here at Foxfire in conjunction with our National Endowment for the Humanities Challenge Grant.

Additionally, Paige will be leading our Wander Up Wednesday guided tours beginning this week on July 12th. So, if you’re in the neighborhood, come on by and meet Paige and get a glimpse into the good work she and our staff are doing to reshape the museum!

~ T.J. Smith