For many years, visitors and staff noticed cracks on the inner and outer walls of the Old State House Museum. In the summer of 1995, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program awarded the Old State House Museum a grant to conduct a structural analysis of the building. The contract was awarded to the Witsell, Evans & Rasco architectural firm of Little Rock. Project architects Charles Witsell and John Greer subcontracted with the firm of John Milner & Associates of Pennsylvania to consult on this momentous project. Neale Quenzel and Lorraine Schnable arrived in October to begin their work.
Analysis revealed problems with the building's structural integrity. Among those problems was an inadequate foundation made of field stone, or rubble. This foundation is visible, especially on the west side of the lawn. The foundation, thought to be adequate by 1830s standards, varied in depth from 16 to 24 inches. A bigger concern was that it did not have a spread footing, which is the stabilizing element for resistance to lateral and vertical forces. Today's standards require spread footings located below the frost line.
Another problem was that the field stones, held together with mud-based mortar, shifted during the last 160 years, creating stress on outside walls. The original drainage system was no longer working, leaving standing water around the building foundation. The walls, made of soft clay bricks, soaked up the water along the foundation. A spring located near the west wing only contributed to deterioration of the foundation.
The extremes of Arkansas weather also took their toll. Outside walls are subjected to temperatures that range from freezing cold to blistering hot. Inside, a museum must try to keep constant temperature and humidity to protect the artifacts and people by keeping windows shut and using modern heating and air cooling systems. These two opposing forces exacerbated cracking of the walls.
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