Elk Run Church Museum Celebrates Its History Preservation Effort
August 31, 2009
The highlight for Elk Run Church Museum is on 12 September when it will kick-off southern Fauquier’s Tour in Time Celebration with a 9:30 am Ribbon Cutting on what we have accomplished to date in preserving this historical landmark.
The all-day Elk Run celebration will include 1700’s Music, Colonial Life Demonstrations, Period Re-enactors, Fauquier Indian Artifacts, Germantown Exhibit, Living Historians, and Authors. Morning refreshments will be provided by the ECW and the Elk Run Store will be selling lunch items and drinks.
School busses will move folks from Elk Run to Mary Walters Elem. School where there will be 1800’s and 1900’s Exhibits. Bus transportation will also connect with Goldvein for their exhibits and then back to Elk Run.
Guests include Senator R. Stuart, Supervisor C. Stribling, School Board members, the Keith Family and other notables.
Come out and support our Elk Run Church Museum colonial displays and enjoy all the other Tour in Time history exhibits. More information on “Tour N Time” events can be viewed at www.fauquierhistorylive.org
Museum work continues thanks to volunteers
August 29, 2009
We got a lot done this past week. The metal railing for the interior Excavation Unit came in this past Monday. Chris Wilson of Elk Run and Bryan Whitt of Sumerduck helped to install it on Tuesday and Wednesday evening. It really looks good.
We removed the protective covering material of the old church foundation within our 6ft x 6ft display area within the Museum. We will finish the remaining work on that in the week ahead.
We started installing temporary wood rails on the handicap ramps with the help of Norman Williams and hope to finish the wood rail work this coming week.
We finished placing river rock around the handicap ramps on Friday with the help of Matthew Gulick and Basil Coale and also removed the remaining soil.
The 4ft x 10ft pre-finished white T-111 panels were ordered this past week from Bylers based on a funding pledge by Fauquier County’s Supervisors. The panels are not expected to arrive until after 12 September.
Our largest remaining expenditures continue to be the bricklayer’s final payment, including additional cost for installing the brick columns. The next and largest cost remaining is that of completing the preparation of the framing and display of our history items estimated at $3,000 to $3,500. The last item will be the purchase of an exterior Interpretative Sign frame ($410) for Archaeological work done there between1999-2006 and preparation of the material for the sign display (about $900).
Donations are still greatly needed and my thanks to those who have been able to contribute and/or assist us with this effort thus far. Every little bit helps.
Progress made at Work Day
August 22, 2009
We had good support for our 15 August Elk Run work day.
We finished the rework of the framing for the privacy fence around the portable handicap toilet and are now awaiting the delivery of the fence boards from the saw mill. The door to the Museum was installed Friday night by an Elk Run resident and carpenter, Chris Wilson. He also volunteered to install the soffit board with vents.
We placed about ¾ of the 3-5 inch River Rock around the base of the Museum and placed stone dust down at the end of the ramps.
Following that we moved the remaining #57 stone to the parking lot.
The interior cement floor also was sealed.
Some debris was removed but we still have an old wheel barrow, old metal ladder, and some wood materials no longer needed to be hauled to the landfill. We need someone with a pickup truck to haul the remaining debris to the landfill.
A few donations came in this past week to cover work already completed. The ECW donated funds for installing a metal railing around the interior excavation unit. We are still short funding for the bricklayer, who has started the porch brick columns, insulation, T-111 paneling for the interior walls and framing of historical items.
I will be meeting with Kevin Sanford of KC Electric this Tuesday morning to scope out the electric work.
My focus this coming week will be on purchasing and installing a 3 foot high metal railing around our 6ft x 6ft Excavation Unit in the Museum.
A temporary wooden railing will have to be installed on the handicap ramps until sufficient funding is available. Anyone with experience in this area, please call me so I can purchase the required materials for our 22 August work day.
The lumber for the privacy fence for the portable toilet may also be ready for installation next Saturday.
During the week an experienced painter is needed to paint the fascia board white, and the windows need a good cleaning to include vacuuming the sawdust etc from around them. Let me know if anyone can help with this and I will get paint and equipment to you and a key to someone who can do the windows inside and out. I will furnish the ladders.
Thanks again to those who came out on 15 August. Any help parishioners can provide in getting donations will be greatly appreciated.
Status Report
August 2, 2009
A critical donation came in this past week to permit us to contract for the cement work which has been a major objective. We are still short funding for the bricklayer, insulation and T-111 paneling for the interior walls and framing of historical items.
A Cement Finisher has been selected and we hope to have this work done by mid-August.
Once the cement work and electric work donated by Kevin Sanford of KC Electric is completed, our focus will be on getting sufficient funding to do the insulation and T-111 paneling so we can hang our draft history items.
Also, we will be able to start uncovering the old church foundation within our 6ft x 6ft display area within the Museum. I will let everyone know when we can begin working on that while waiting to do other work.
The Germanna Foundation has submitted a historical item for the Museum since some of their folks in nearby Germantown (Midland) also attended Elk Run Church in the Colonial period.
Sarah Gulick has estimated that the cost to formalize the completion of our history items to be about $3,000 to $3,500.
Rod Loggins who owns a small lumber mill southwest of Bealeton has donated the lumber for the privacy fence around the portable toilet. Once he has delivered it in the next two weeks, I will call for volunteers to help install it.
Any help you can provide in getting donations in materials and funds will be greatly appreciated.
Please contact us if you would like to be added to the mailing list for upcoming work day announcements.
Successful Saturday work day
August 1, 2009
We were able to install the Porch supporting steel posts, enclose the handicap portable toilet with a pressure treated wooden framework for the privacy fence, and installed the first layer of stone dust from the parking lot to where the handicap ramp will be installed. Luck Stone in Bealeton donated 8 tons of Stone Dust last week.
