Museum sees upgrades
The Drayton Valley Museum is open for their regular summer hours and this year will see some changes to their buildings.
Hannah Manning, one of the summer students at the museum, says two of their buildings now have electricity in them.
The Eldorado School, which was brought to the museum grounds in 2007, has always shown what a typical school house in the 1950s would have looked like. However, this year they have also added a new mud room, which contains benches built by local contractors with wood donated from a local mill.
“We’ve repainted and remodeled one of the rooms,” says Manning.
The fire hall, built in 2015 to house the fire engines that the museum has, also has electricity now.
Manning says the electrical hook up went smoothly and will make the spaces more usable. Especially the fire hall, which the organization can use for storage.
She says all the upgrades were paid for with private donations from the community and grants.
Connecting electricity was only part of what they hope to accomplish this year, says Manning. The Herndon House needs a restoration.
“We’re having leaks and issues with the siding,” says Manning.
Right now, they have the house closed to the public until they can give it the necessary repairs. Manning says the anticipated cost is more than $150,000 to have everything looked after. Their goal is to raise the funds from the community along with grants to fund the project.
“It’s going to be a big project, but it’s much needed,” says Manning.
Also, anyone entering the museum grounds from the western side just off of Highway 22 will notice some changes on the sign. This year, they will showcase old pictures of the first homesteaders in the area.
“The theme is trappers, loggers, homesteaders, and oilmen,” says Manning.
There are also new displays set up at the Brazeau County office, the Anglican Church, and the Rocky Rapids Store, says Manning.
“One is for the Drayton Valley Bakery,” says Manning. “We had a lot of objects donated to us from the previous owners.”
Anyone who would like to donate to the Herndon House restoration project can bring a cheque to the museum, says Manning. Older items from the ‘50s or ‘60s are needed to complement the new addition, such as coats or lunch boxes.
“Things like coats students might have worn, or old lunch boxes,” says Manning.
Right now, the museum is open to the public on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Amanda Jeffery, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Drayton Valley and District Free Press