Old York Heritage Campaign
To ensure that Old York continues to meet the needs of our community, we embarked in 2005 on a $2.8 million capital campaign. The Old York Heritage Campaign will raise the funds necessary to reconstruct and adapt the historic Remick barn to serve as a new education and exhibition center and strengthen the endowment to provide for the museum's financial security.
In 2006 , the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded Old York a $500,000 Challenge Grant. In order to secure these funds, they must be matched three-to-one by private contributions. In addition to the grant, our effort was designated a We the People project, recognizing this as a model program that advances the study, teaching and understanding of American history and culture. Now we ask our community to join along with other families, businesses and foundations to complete this campaign and meet the challenge!
With a gift to the Old York Heritage Campaign, you will join Elizabeth Perkins and a distinguished group of people who cherished and preserved remnants of York's past so they might add meaning and enjoyment to our lives. We can honor their foresight by making the best use of the buildings, objects and documents they left as educational resources. Let us make our legacy the preservation of these treasures so future generations can find fascination and meaning through their ongoing exploration.
To date, the Old York Historical Society has raised just over $2.5 million as a part of its first capital fundraising effort to build a new education and exhibition center. This June, Old York Heritage Campaign Chair Russell Peterson, Executive Director Scott Steven and President of the Board Cal Hosmer officially broke ground for the new facility.
Since the fall of 2004, individuals, families, businesses and foundations have made significant commitments to the campaign. To reach our goal of $2.8 million, we need to raise an additional $129,000, which we hope to accomplish before the new building is completed.
We invite you to make a lasting gift to your community by contributing to the Old York Heritage Campaign. For more information on the project, or to learn how you can help us reach our goal, please call Executive Director Scott Stevens at (207) 363-4974.
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Construction Update: January 2008
In July 2007, concrete foundations were poured for the barn and the connector to Jefferds' Tavern. Fill was brought in to cover all but two feet of the foundation, which remains exposed. The shelf visible now holds granite stones to create the appearance of a traditional barn foundation. Steel supports for the first floor deck were installed. Engineered wood framing was then installed between the steel beams, and a subfloor of Advantek, a high-tech plywood alternative, was installed on top of the steel and wood frame. The 1834 Remick Barn sits on top of this first floor, reinforced by a steel frame, which is required by code if we are to use the building for public assembly.
In August, barn restoration expert Steven Fifield placed the wooden posts and beams of the Remick Barn frame around the reinforcement, completely hiding the steel beams from view. The Remick Barn, a Yankee barn from neighboring Eliot, Maine, was scheduled for demolition before it was donated to Old York. The barn was carefully dismantled, and each piece was labled to allow for reassembly next to Jefferds Tavern. The dismantled pieces, pictured to the left, were brought out of storage and reassembled this summer to provide a new education and exhibition center for the museum.
After the post and beam framing of the barn was in place, a steel roof frame was erected to support the 10¼ inch insulated panels that will ensure the museum can properly control the climate of the building for both visitor comfort and collections preservation.
Carpenters framed the interior walls on the first and second floor and masons built a replica fireplace and hearth that closely resembles those in the keeping room of Jefferds' Tavern. The photo on the right was taken on September 6th and shows the process of constructing a replica hearth. The new hearth will provide us with additional space for our popular education programs.
In September, contractors applied a "stress skin" of insulated structural panels to the exterior of the walls and roof. These stabilize the building and make it more energy efficient. South of the barn, excavators completed the gravel surface of the newly expanded parking lot. They also upgraded the lawn areas around the Old Schoolhouse and Jefferds' Tavern, installed a drainage system and prepared walkways leading from the parking lot to the new facility.
This fall the roof was finished with cedar shingles and clapboard and cedar shingles finished the walls of the barn. The exterior of the barn is now nearly complete, except for painting of the connector building, which serves as our Visitors Center. Electrical, climate control and plubming systems were installed along with wall finishes. The new parking area and sidewalks are finished, as is the necessary grading around the barn. The Vietnam Memorial has been raised to a more prominent position and a stone wall was built around it to further highlight the memorial.
As we move into Spring of 2008, the landscaping will undergo a transformation as well. The kitchen gardens behind Jefferds' Tavern will be expanded to meet the needs of our education programs. The parking area, which has been expanded to accommodate school groups and tourists, will be screened from the road by existing vegetation and additional plantings. The large maples and locust trees will be retained to provide shade, while new plantings will be designed to showcase the property and provide beauty year-round.
Updated: January 2008