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New Digs To Preserve The Old
Story and photo by Linda
Dillman
Looking ahead to preserve the past is a daunting task,
especially if you need to move and store an entire
second-story museum, maintain an existing structure, and
plan ahead for future exhibits and displays.
Thankfully, at least for the Reynoldsburg–Truro
Historical Society, the crystal ball is a little clearer
as the local organization looks to the future. |
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Created out of blood, sweat, and tears with a dusting of hope
and manifested dreams, the new green and white storage structure
is fronted by a stone wall, meticulous landscaping, and a paved
walkway. Historical Society Vice President Helen Kitzmiller
reported the organization raised $45,000 to pay for the
structure, but its value is far greater due to dedicated
volunteers who spent countless hours in constructing the
building.
“Some things have been moved to the barn and the
basement (in the Jackson Street museum/meeting space) and to
wherever we can put them,” said Kitzmiller. “With the new
building, we can get enough stuff in the storage barn to rotate
displays in and out of the museum. We’ll be able to rotate
things much more than ever before.
“We’ll have a little room for repair, maintenance, and
office space and there’ll also be a display area in the barn, in
addition to the museum space we have already. This will be an
ongoing process, but we hope within a yea r to be pretty
settled.”
According to society librarian and archivist Mark
Myers, the barn also contains six bays visible to the public
that will be used for displays. People can walk past the windows
and see vignettes such as a recreation of a portion of the
hardware store featuring Ralph Connell’s potbelly stove.
Myers said cataloging and reorganizing the society’s
vast historical inventory following the move is a daunting
endeavor. However, once the task is complete, information could
be used to establish an updated, centralized history of
Reynoldsburg and Truro Township, which would be linked to the
Internet.
“If you had it all on a data base, it could be accessed
quickly and easily by students, researchers, and the general
public. We’re also exploring more ways for student involvement,
such as internships and hands-on activities. We’ve always
welcomed school tours, but we’re starting to work more closely
with the district, such as the STEM program where they’re
applying for a grant and need community partners.
“We could also take more steps to be in the classroom
as part of the curriculum and provide resource material that
could be incorporated into state standards instruction.”
Fundraisers conducted by the society, such as an annual flea
market and a new gold party concept, helped finance and defray
the costs of constructing the multi-level storage structure and
provide support for programming.
“We developed our 2020 Vision this year as another way
to raise funds,” continued Kitzmiller. “We sent a letter out to
Reynoldsburg alumni, friends of the historical society,
residents, and city leaders asking them to donate $20 or more
and inviting them to join the
historical society. It’s a way of investigating new methods of
fundraising. We’re also reaching out to other organizations and
held a shower in April for the first time to benefit Helping
Hands Food Pantry. It went so well, we’re hoping to make it an
annual event.”
For more information, contact the Reynoldsburg-Truro
Historical Society at 863-6969 or on the Web at
www.rths.info.
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