How Loretto Volunteers researches, writes, and corrects its work.
Our sources
We prioritise primary and archival material over secondary retellings. For this subject that means, among others: the documentary research of historian Mary Jean Straw Cook; the wood analysis of Forrest N. Easley; the structural investigation published by Joe Nickell in Skeptical Inquirer; period reporting in the Santa Fe New Mexican; and public reference records. Every page names the sources behind its key claims.
How we handle contested facts
Where reputable sources disagree — for example on the staircase’s wood species, or on whether glue was used in its construction — we do not silently pick one. We present the competing claims, attribute each, and explain which is best supported and why. If the honest answer is “unresolved,” we say that. You can see this method on our wood-type and debunked-or-miracle pages.
What we do and don’t claim
We are a research and editorial team, not architects, engineers, clergy, or eyewitnesses to the 1870s. While members of our team have visited the chapel, we do not present personal measurements, inspections, or testing as our own unless explicitly stated and true. Statements of fact are sourced; interpretation is labelled as such.
Fact-checking
Before publication, each article is checked against its cited sources by an editor who did not draft it. Numbers — step counts, dimensions, dates — are verified against at least one primary or authoritative reference.
Corrections
We correct errors promptly and visibly. If you find a mistake, email hello@lorettovolunteers.org with the page and the source for the correction; substantive fixes are noted on the page with the date.
Independence
Loretto Volunteers is not affiliated with the Loretto Chapel, its owners, or any tour operator. Our editorial conclusions are determined solely by the evidence.
Anonymity
Our contributors work without personal bylines by choice. We hold the work to the standards above so it can be judged on its sourcing and method rather than on names. More about the project is on our About page.