Speaking at a May 10 meeting of the Richard Henry Lee chapter of the Virginia Society Sons of the American Revolution, Robert Teagle, executive director of the Foundation for Historic Christ Church in Weems, addressed the topic of “Rising Damp and Archaeology at Historic Christ Church.”

At the luncheon at the Indian Creek Yacht and Country Club in Irvington, Teagle noted that until now, none of the preservation efforts undertaken at the church, which pre-dates the American Revolution, have adequately addressed the problem of “rising damp.”

Rising damp, Teagle explained, is the process by which groundwater moves vertically and horizontally into building materials like brick, mortar, stone, woodwork and plaster by capillary action and rises in these materials before evaporating.

Over time, rising damp has caused serious damage to Christ Church’s renowned architectural elements: its brickwork, stone trim, plaster and interior woodwork.

Previous efforts to mitigate rising damp...