THE HALL

The Viking Hall and Boat Shelter will be about 56 feet long and 28 feet wide.  It will have what is called a “boat shape” and be a tribute to Norse architecture and craftsmanship.  It will be located in Maryland along with access to the Potomac River close to the Chesapeake Bay.  It will be used with active and veteran military and their families.  Some of the wood types that will be used include oak, pine, cedar, and Douglas fir.  The Hall will serve as a place for military Veterans to assemble, to have meals to hear lectures, to play board games such as chess, and the Viking version hnefatafl.   When not in use for Veterans it will for storing and maintaining our replica Viking Boat which is used in many of our programs. 

 

When feasting is taking place, it will be a site where ancient stories are told, poetry is recited, music is performed on live instruments, and songs are sung, and toasts are made to fallen comrades.  In some cases, it may even be the venue for the marriage of active duty or veteran military.  For the veteran who deals with loneliness the Hall will stand in stark contrast as a place of joy and camaraderie. 

​

Overall, our Viking Camp has the right ambience on a creek that runs into the Potomac River and is set up for an enjoyable day for Veterans.  It is a place where we can also do archery, play lawn games, have small group blacksmithing, woodworking, go sailing, have campfires, and dine and entertain in the Viking Hall.

​

The Hall will have three aisles with the middle aisle being the widest.  There will be a large double door on one end for backing the Viking boat and trailer into the hall.  It will also have a side door that will serve as the main entrance when the Hall is used for events.  At the far end of the hall will be a storage room to hide away any boat equipment or maintenance items for when the Hall is used for other purposes. 

​

Our builders Leetes Island Boatworks will use and teach traditional mortice and tenon joinery, wedged dovetails, scarf joints, pegged half-laps, and other joints.  

​

As mentioned, during the building process we will hold a series of vocational workshops starting in late 2024 or early 2025 that would teach timber framing and carpentry skills to Veterans and perhaps get them started in that field.  Target audience for each session is up to 20 Veterans.  This approach is similar to that we used when we built our Viking boat and held boatbuilding workshops for Veterans in Connecticut that were popular and well attended in 2021 and 2022. 

​

When ready in late 2025 or early 2026, the building pieces would be loaded onto a flatbed trailer and trucked from Connecticut to Maryland and assembled at our Viking Camp in a sort of Veterans barn raising event. 

 

There will be white oak benches and tables in the hall – many of them already complete.  In Old Norse the language of the Vikings the benches are called bekkr.  The building will not have a typical foundation, but for local environmental reasons the center aisle will have compacted earth and fine gravel.  Along each wall beside the center aisle will be slightly raised wooden platforms.  In inclement weather these platforms can serve as places to sleep and roll out a sleeping pad and sleeping bag.  Also, helpful for those Veterans who do not have a tent of their own.  In the middle of the Hall will be a sunken fireplace (hearth) that will be covered over when not in use and the Viking boat is stored.  This fireplace can be used for some cooking and for warmth.  There will be a vent in the roofline and a solar powered exhaust fan solar to assist.  The building will have temporary lighting powered by a generator for use when boat maintenance is in progress.  Otherwise, it will be lit by the fireplace, small triangular windows near the eves, and candles. 

​

We plan to have a small farm plot next to the Hall where veterans can learn a bit about Viking age agriculture. This plot near the Hall will have crops and herbs such as turnips, cabbage, dill, radish, barley, millet, peas, onions, and linseed. 

​

Our Hall will be a stunning and inspirational space for Veterans to meet as well as a practical space to store and maintain our Viking Boat – a centerpiece of many outdoor activities.