Farewell to the AVHS Museum
Written by:
Janis Mohr-Tipton
The Applegate Valley Historical Society (AVHS) museum was successfully disassembled on Saturday, April 11. The roof was cut in half and lifted off the building onto a flatbed trailer. Then, the hand-hewn logs were taken off the building piece by piece and loaded onto the trailer. Finally, the dismantled building was moved to a weather-protected facility.
Many of you have commented on the open space in our Applegate neighborhood where the museum had stood since the 1990s.
The AVHS lost the court case about our legal right to use the land (see the article in the winter issue). It was a hard lesson about the importance of precise recordkeeping for a nonprofit. Since the land donated to us is no longer ours, we are planning to move the museum to a new location. We continue to seek funds to help pay the costs of all this upheaval. Our attorney's fee is over $22,000, and we are making small payments at this time. Thank you to those who have offered donations; every single dollar helps preserve and set this historic building on a safe piece of ground for everyone to enjoy.
Many thanks to Joshua Morrison for spearheading and planning the deconstruction and moving project—volunteering his time, organizing a crew of five plus equipment, and figuring out how to mark the logs for dismantling, storing, and then reconstructing in the future. Due to Morrison's precise planning, the building was dismantled in half a day.
Also, thanks to the AVHS lunch crew of four, who provided a great meal on the day of deconstruction, with a big thanks to Larry Hogan for creating sumptuous BBQ burgers to go with great side dishes.
AVHS is researching locations for a new home for the building, starting with several local offers that have already come to us. We look forward to evaluating potential locations for the 1860s hand-hewn building.
Watch for programs and gatherings in the summer months. If you become a member of AVHS, you will receive a newsletter each month to keep you informed. The working-and-planning group meets at 10 am on the first Saturday of each month at the Applegate Library. You are welcome to join us. We welcome ideas, suggestions, support, and questions. You can contact Barbara Niedermeyer at bnkoalsrkool@gmail.com or Janis Mohr-Tipton at the email address below.
Thank you to all who have supported us and helped us maintain a positive outlook as we search for the future home of our AVHS museum.
Janis Mohr-Tipton
Photo 1: Removing one log at a time Photo: Barbara Niedermeyer
Photo 2: Stacking the logs. Getting closer with the crew of 6. Photo: Barbara Niedermeyer
