The Fayette County Historical Society Museum was just brought into the 21st century with barely a whimper. No kicking or screaming. There was, however, a lot of jumping for joy by the board of trustees for the museum.
Four years ago, the museum trustees invited Andy Verhoff, local history services coordinator with the Ohio History Connection, to perform a facilities and operation assessment. The results were eye-opening.
The trustees needed to make some hard decisions regarding the future of the museum. The building’s main need was to control the humidity in the house. It was decided to implement a three-phase climate control project.
The first phase would refurbish all the windows in the house. New sashes would be installed and all wood would be primed and painted. Phase two was refurbishing the outside doors. All outside doors were removed, taken apart, rebuilt, re-hung, primed and painted. It is believed that two of the doors had not been operational for four or five decades. The third phase of the climate control project would be to install air conditioning, which would help keep the humidity at a more even level in the house.
The Historical Society Board of Trustees readily admitted they would need financial help with all these projects. The Fayette County Commissioners, Fayette County Travel and Tourism, The Ohio History Connection, along with the DP&L Foundation, all stepped up to finance the project.
The final phase, the air conditioning, was completed just last week. Not only will the even temperatures help with the preservation of the artifacts stored in the house, it will also make it much more comfortable for visitors while touring the museum.
The museum is open every Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m., April through September. Private tours may be booked by calling 740-335-2953. Leave a message and a trustee will return your call.
The exhibit for this season is World War I. The first floor of the museum contains a number of artifacts that belonged to Fayette County soldiers. There are even some German artifacts on display.
For Speaker’s Bureau information or for general information about membership, please call 740-335-2953 and a trustee will return your call.
Everyone is invited to visit the “cool” museum this season.
