Do you believe.....??

[myxpykalix]

Leaving aside any religious stories about how it was built with the tools available back then, the beautiful work and the fact that it is still standing 100+ years later makes you go...hmmmm:eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvid_KnFq7s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C63vbHx5GBQ

I believe!!:D

[ssflyer]

Jack,

Are you looking to build a new staircase? :D It is a beautiful piece of workmanship.

Here (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/15/AR2010011501810.html)is an interesting link to a story about it.

Seems it is now a privately owned, for profit, museum. Makes sense the owners want to propagate the story.

[shilala]

I can't even imagine the talent.

[myxpykalix]

Well until they take it apart and expose how it is made, i'll believe that it is the "hand of God" holding it together...:eek::D

[hh_woodworking]

It is great to see in person also. I grew up 35 miles from Santa Fe. I have had the privilege of see it several times still amazing too see it.

[makeCNC]

Leaving aside any religious stories about how it was built with the tools available back then, the beautiful work and the fact that it is still standing 100+ years later makes you go...hmmmm:eek:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvid_KnFq7s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C63vbHx5GBQ

I believe!!:D

could they X-ray the structure and see how it was made ?
or some other method of scanning ?

this is truly a beautiful work of craftsmanship and art
and the carpenter/craftsman/artisan was clearly motivated and inspired by his faith and if faith drives a person to create such a thing of beauty then i am all for more faith..

[cr2]

Thanks for the post; beautiful staircase. Snopes gives more details from a practical point of view:

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/ghosts/loretto.asp

[bleeth]

I was also fortunate enough to spend some time looking the real thing over. No way to confirm that no glue or "nails" was used but it does have pegs and it is easy to imagine blind mortises, etc.
Of course, it is attached at the top and the bottom.
You don't have to have a center pole on a spiral staircase. We think of them that way as the ones we see the most are wrapped tight around the pole, but the structure of this one is more like a corkscrew. With stiff enough stringers it will stand up to the pressure very well. In essence you have an inner corkscrew and an outer one connected by the treads and risers.
As noted in the Snopes article it does have internal iron connecting it to the iron support of the loft above and actually had issues from it not being stiff enough to prevent movement when used. Likely due to the stringers being thin to allow simple soaking to make them bendable.

All that aside though, it is a gorgeous piece of work and anyone in the area should put it on their "must see" list. Also the Gorman foundry (not the exact name but he was the founder) north of town and the wood artisan museum next to it.