Eddy County Museum will not open this season

The Eddy County Historical Society board of directors met this past week to hash out plans for the 2020 season. The short story is that the museum will be closed for the summer.

The long story is that the closure is less about COVID-19 and more about making needed upgrades to the buildings and grounds. Fundraising has been the name of the game for several months now, and it is an endeavor that has paid off. With more than $4,000 raised over the initial goal of $11,000, the museum is grateful for the generous support they have received and are poised to make good use of their resources.

The museum grounds will be closed to the public this summer. Instead board members and volunteers will be focusing on improving the condition of the facilities. On specified clean up days, board members and volunteers will be teaming up in small groups - and in the proper protective gear - to implement some deep cleaning as well as refreshing the current displays.

Thanks to the fundraising donations, heavier work is already underway. In addition to the structural repairs to the ceiling of the Stavanger Church building, the board is also soliciting requests for painting the exterior of all three buildings, as well as the window sills on the interior. The advertisement for bids is published on page B3.

Archivist Rachel Brazil will continue to offer history buffs a peek into the collections each week as she highlights select artifacts in the Transcript exclusive feature "Archival Anecdotes."

Residents and visitors who seek particular documents, artifacts or other information can contact a museum board member to arrange a private appointment as available. Please note that the Brantford Depot and Dodds School House will be available to tour by appointment, as available. However the Stavanger Church will remain closed to the public until the interior work is complete.