Trending
MIFFLIN -- History never hibernates, which is why construction sounds resonate from the Tuscarora Academy Museum in Mifflin despite it being closed for the season.
Work has begun on a window restoration project at the museum, which is owned and operated by the Juniata County Historical Society.
This project is being supported by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's Keystone Historic Preservation Grant, a program funded by the state. The 50/50 match grant will help with the cost of the $51,000 project.
This extensive window rehabilitation, which includes the application of ultraviolet light protection, is necessary for the safety and preservation of the collection contained in the museum and for the continued preservation of the building, which is listed on the National Register for Historic Places.
The restoration work is being done by the Country Homestead, a Snyder County company that specializes in historic restoration and preservation techniques. The window work is not expected to interfere with the museum's opening on Sunday, June 2.
"Managing the grant is an incredibly laborious process," Tuscarora Academy Museum Curator Jessica Eaton Guyer said. "There's a lot of paperwork, the application, managing the payments and reimbursements, paying the contractor on time - just managing the entire execution of it was quite a feat."
She was thankful this process was administered by the historical society. The society's archivist, Spencer McLaughlin, is overseeing the grant's administration, while Properties Committee members Austin Willi and Charlie Marshall have been handling the coordination with the contractor.
Last week, the contractors removed seven of the museum's 30 windows - 17 on the first level and 12 upstairs - at one time to restore in their workshop. After the initial batch of seven are restored and re-installed, they'll repeat the process at least three more times to restore the rest of the windows. "So, we'll be cutting it close!" Guyer said.
"They're peeling something terrible," she added. "Most of the glazing is gone on some of them" as well as the ultra-violet filters. "The last time the U-V filters were done was in the mid-'90s. They're only useful for 10 to 15 years. So, they have long outlived their worth. It's definitely time."
The museum will open its doors on June 2 even if the work is still ongoing. "They will have most of them done by that day," Guyer said. "This has been long overdue. With the cost and money being tight, it makes it more challenging."
Guyer said the museum has several activities planned this summer, including the return of its wildly popular Indians and Ice Cream event on July 14 and a historic guns exhibit (official name of the event to be determined) on August 11.
The special exhibit room's display will focus on the history of the Boys and Girls Scouts of America.
For more information, find them on Facebook.