West Branch Heritage Foundation Museum back in business

WEST BRANCH - 'Dank, dark and wobbly” are a few of the words West Branch Heritage Foundation Museum board members once used to describe their museum.

Foundation President Faye Finck said the temperature was unpredictable - it was 'hot, hot or cold, cold” - as the location originally constructed in 1894 lacked a handful of modern amenities. Only one light illuminated the room.

'It was like moonlight in here,” she said.

The museum will open more often starting in early August after three years of interior and exterior renovations to address those concerns.

The roof had begun to sag, water seeped in and the wood floor was 'as black as oil.” The museum was opened for West Branch's signature events, Christmas Past and Hoover Hometown Days, but Finck said they worried about the building's condition.

Refusing to restore the structure was not an option.

'Buildings like this in West Branch aren't going to be built again,” said Lou Picek, foundation board member.

Spurred on by a $30,000 Main Street challenge grant in 2012 with a year to complete the project, board members saw a path forward.

But to secure the grant, they needed to find matching funds. Because the museum was not open routinely, soliciting donations was challenging, Finck said. But they found the money through combination of county assistance and private donations.

Slowly the restoration projects began. The chimney, along with years of tar, which led to some of the roof's problems, was removed. A new roof was installed and the aged wood floors were sanded, their former beauty restored.

Additional light fixtures were installed so patrons could see the exhibits.

New exhibits will be organized around themes such as local school history, old advertising giveaways from nearby stores, and 1800s to 1900s kitchens. Picek said past offerings were disorganized and large number of artifacts could overwhelm people.

'Now that it's fixed up I can't believe what it looks like,” said Picek, who owns Main Street Antiques and Art across the street from the museum.

Behind the scenes, board members used lots of goo remover.

New display cases and storage were needed to house all the items. Board members found large storage drawers.

Needing to keep track of the items, volunteers revived an effort to catalog each item on paper before transferring it to a computer. The goal is to create a database where anyone can come in and locate specific artifacts.

Countless tasks remain, but now is the fun part, according to Picek and Finck. Future displays are taking shape throughout the building.

'I've waited 10 years to do these displays,” Finck said. 'Just to see it come into being is important.”

The aim is to finish everything in time for Hoover Hometown days Aug. 1 and 2. The festival's namesake, President Herbert Hoover, is said to have urged community members to start the museum before his death.

'This is the type of community that likes to see things,” said Mackenzie Krob, Main Street West Branch program director.

'These types of projects build momentum, so someone can see this and realize they can (restore a building), too.”