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Fort Laramie National Historic Site - Lime Concrete
Fort Laramie Wyoming

Lime concrete walls, Fort Laramie National Historic Site, 2002

The Architectural Preservation Institute is currently working in conjunction with the National Park Service on a lime concrete research project. The objective is to test methods of stabilizing the lime concrete material of several walls at the Fort Laramie National Historic Site.

The project includes diagnostic and material characterization of lime concrete and surface plasters as well as non-destructive testing methods to determine compressive strength and deformability. Additional research includes extensive archival research of the lime concrete used for the construction of Fort Laramie and the possible construction of a replication wall using the original concrete recipe. National Park Service exhibit specialists and API employee Eric Logan tested three possible consolidant treatments for the concrete on small portions of the historic fabric. These test areas will be monitored over time to evaluate the treatment results.