Project Log:
Mini-Museum Dedication
November 14, 2010
Opening remarks by Col. Ed Dandar, Chairman of the Elk Run Church Preservation Committee. By Emma Keith Olson
Bishop Ted Gulick. By Emma Keith Olson
Bishop Ted Gulick and Rev. Pati Mary from St Stephen's Episcopal Church in Catlett, VA. By Emma Keith Olson
Descendants of the Rev. James Keith. From Emma Keith Olson
Descendants of the Rev. James Keith sharing their family tree. By Emma Keith Olson
Col.Ed Dandar. By Mary M. Root
By Mary M. Root
By Mary M. Root
Rev. Pati mary from St Stephen's Church in Catlett. By Mary M. Root
Bishop Ted Gulick. By Mary M. Root
Sarah Gulick documenting the Dedication Service.
Thank you to Emma Keith Olson and Mary M. Root for providing us with photos!
If you have photos from the event, please send them to sarah@studioup.com
Elk Run Church Mini-Museum Receives Final Occupancy Permit
September 15, 2010
A unique ten year historical preservation effort reached a major milestone on 31 August when the Mini-Museum received its final Occupancy Permit. The Preservation Committee archaeologically located, defined and preserved the foundation of a 1750s Anglican Church in Elk Run, Fauquier County, Virginia.
The all-volunteer archaeological effort was conducted from November 1999 until October 2006. Conversion of the archaeological site to a Historical Church Park started in November 2006. The construction of a Mini-Museum over a re-excavated segment of the old Church foundation was completed in August 2010.
The Preservation Committee needs the Community’s support in acquiring the necessary funds to prepare history items for the Museum Walls which would include the history of the area, its first inhabitants, the Church, its first Minister, and the seven year archaeological and Park preservation effort. Citizens, organizations and businesses are asked to contribute in achieving this important Historic Church Park goal.
The Committee needs approximately $1,200 for each of the Interpretative Signs, another $1,200 to complete the final wall items and $2,400 to update the video documentary. If you are inclined to help, organizations and/or individuals can send checks payable to the “Elk Run Church Site Preservation Fund” and sent in care of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 8538 Greenwich Road, Catlett, Virginia 20119. All donations are tax deductible and we can cite the organization or individual on a plaque who contributed to a particular history display item.
Elk Run Church Museum Finishes Outside Tasks and Begins Interior Painting
July 24, 2010
VDOT approved the gravel parking lot in late May, and Karl Hertag installed the stained and water proofed wooden hand rails on the handicap ramps on 22 May. Becky Garber later that day completed puttying the nail holes in the trim and T-111 panels. By 14 July the interior walls were painted. Once this work was completed, we applied for a final inspection and occupancy permit.
The Germanna Foundation visited the Elk Run Church site and Mini-Museum on Friday, 16 July as part of their 2010 Annual Conference.
Another Outside Task is Completed
April 2, 2010
The Museum parking lot area was finished with a heavy layer of 21A stone material by Matthew Gulick on 2 April.
A VDOT inspection will be scheduled in the near future. Staining and installing the finished wooden hand rails
on the handicap ramps will be our next outside objective. Painting the Museum interior walls will be scheduled soon.
Help needed painting the inside and finishing up the outside
March 7, 2010
Today, Karl Hertag assisted Frankie Dodson in putting up the Porch ceiling and helping Frankie install the maintenance free fascia and soffit covering on the Museum. Frankie Dodson is a friend of one of our volunteer carpenters, Mark Barber, and works for a Siding Company. He did an excellent job and at a fraction of the cost of original estimates. Another major milestone has been completed and photos of finished work are below.
Installing the finished wooden hand rails on the handicap ramps and completing the parking lot area with a heavy layer of 21A stone material will be our next outside objectives. Inside, the countersinking of nail holes and puttying them will be started as soon as the weather stays around 50 degrees or higher. Painting the Museum interior walls will have to wait for warmer weather.
Volunteers will be needed to do both inside and outside tasks. Please let me know what tasks and times are best for you so that keys, materials and assistance can be provided.
Museum interior almost finished; outside work needed for building approval
December 6, 2009
With Karl Hertag’s carpentry skills we reached another major milestone by installing the remaining inside corner trim, window trim and door trim, including the countersinking of almost all of the nail holes.
After Christmas we will need volunteers to putty nails holes, etc to prepare the interior walls for a final coat of paint. Let us know what time is best for you so that keys, materials and assistance can be provided.
Now that the major inside work is done, the remaining outside building tasks need to be completed so we can get our final building approval early next year. They include installing 1/2 inch painted plywood ceiling under the porch roof, installing finished wooden hand rails on the handicap ramps, installing the soffit board under and behind the fascia trim and completing the parking lot area with a heavy layer of 21A stone material.
Also, Sarah Gulick is working on an initial set of Museum Wall history display items and we hope to provide you with a progress report on that after the Holidays.
It will be one year ago on 9 December that we got our Building Permits approved and started planning for putting the roof on our Museum. We want to thank all of you who made this possible and the progress we have achieved thus far.
We wish everyone Merry Christmas, Good Health and a Happy Holiday Season.
Volunteers complete museum wall panels & some trim work
November 15, 2009
Volunteer carpenters, Mark Barber and Karl Hertag have finished installing the remaining 15 T-111 wall panels. The baseboard, ceiling trim and outside corner trim is also completed, leaving the trim around the three windows, door and inside corners to be completed
Descendants of the Rev. James Keith visit Elk Run
October 19, 2009
Emma Keith Olson, Gray Garretson, Betty Burks Scarborough
Emma Keith Olson, Betty Burks Scarborough, Gray Garretson
Standing: Emma Keith Olson, Gray Garretson Kneeling: Betty Burks Scarborough
Thank you to Emma Keith Olson for providing the photos!
Volunteers needed to help install wall panels
Since our 12 September event, we submitted needed changes to our Electric Plan for the Museum and received approval from the County pending the fixes to be made. We also got approval to install the wall insulation which Becky Garber and I completed last Wednesday.
I will contact the electrician on Monday to see if he can make the fixes this week so I can call for a final electric and close-in Inspection hopefully by this Friday. If this can be accomplished, I will need some volunteers with carpentry skills and tools to assist next Saturday, 24 October from 9am to 3pm, to begin installing the white T-111 wall panels that are in storage at Bylers in Catlett.
Please let me know if you can assist in this next stage of construction so I can plan on moving the T-111 panels to the Museum site. There is not sufficient space in the Museum for storage or cutting, so the panels will have to be measured and cut outside on saw horses before installation.
Since weather will be a factor, I will let everyone know by Friday afternoon if we need to cancel. Refreshments will be provided.
Celebration of History Preservation Effort
September 12, 2009
The highlight for the Elk Run Church Museum this year was its participation in kicking-off southern Fauquier’s “Tour in Time” Celebration. This event initiated a day-long celebration of the settlement of Fauquier County as part of the County’s 250th Anniversary.
It started with a 9:30 am Ribbon Cutting at the Museum and focused on what the Elk Run Church Site Preservation Committee, and the Community at- large, had accomplished thus far in preserving this historical landmark. A re-excavated segment of the 250-year old Church foundation was show-cased within the Museum itself.
The all-day Elk Run celebration included 1700’s Music, Colonial Life Demonstrations, Period Re-enactors, Fauquier Indian Artifacts, Germantown Exhibit, Living Historians, and history Authors.
Morning refreshments were provided by St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church Women, and the local Elk Run Store sold lunch items and drinks. During the day school busses moved visitors from Elk Run to Mary Walters Elementary School where there was 1800’s and 1900’s Exhibits, also connected with Goldvein for their exhibits, and then back to Elk Run.
Guests included Supervisor C. Stribling and descendents of the first minister of the Elk Run Church, Reverend James Keith (1744-1752), and other notables. A financial gift was provided by Supervisor Stribling on behalf of the County Supervisors that will enable the Committee to install the much needed wall insulation and T-111 panels. Future donations will be used to complete the Museum history wall panels which have already been drafted.
The Elk Run Church Site volunteers need your financial support in order to achieve this important Historic Park goal. We appeal to you for help in establishing and preserving this remarkable treasure.
Your gift will help us reach our goal and secure the rightful place of Elk Run Church in the history of Colonial churches in Virginia. Checks may be made payable to “Elk Run Church Site Preservation Fund” and sent in care of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 8538 Greenwich Road, Catlett, VA 20119. Donations are tax deductible.
