Repairs are finished at the Van Buren County Historical Society’s museum in Hartford, and volunteers are preparing to move everything back in.
The museum was damaged in a storm in June of 2022. The wind tore off the front part of the roof, exposing the entire interior to the elements. The museum says its roof ended up in the ravine next to the building and they lost many trees. Rain soaked the museum’s artifacts and archival collections, and everything had to be moved out while roof repairs were done.
Board members of the Van Buren County Historical Society have been doing most of the work at the museum while waiting for repairs, but now they’re looking for volunteers who can help with the move-in. The first task will be cleaning and moving the artifacts back to the museum and unpacking the boxes and returning everything back to the rooms.
As the society gets its work days scheduled, it will let volunteers know the details. It’s also looking for anyone who is skilled in fabric care and preservation, appraising items, and blacksmithing.
Everyone’s invited to a meeting at the Van Buren County ISD Center in Lawrence at 7 p.m. on March 5 to learn more.
