Thanks to the Russellville Lion’s Club and donations from other individuals, the project of renovating windows at the Logan County Archives Building is moving right along.
The archives serves as home to a great deal of the county’s old documents, from genealogical material like marriage and death records, to land acquisitions and where people are buried around the county, among many, many other sources of information.
Close to a dozen windows are in need of repair. They are over 100 years old and made of Southern Red Pine. The windows have been worn down due to age and weather. Most, however, still have the original glass within them, which will be maintained if at all possible.
Thanks to the recent donations, four windows on the lower level of the building have been repaired. There are six windows in the upstairs and those are the ones that will be worked on next, as money provides. Each window costs a minimum of $500 to repair, depending on the damage sustained over the years. Some are in worse condition than others.
“Over time the weather has affected the windows. The normal wear and tear and the age of the windows is what has caused the issues,” said archives clerk Denise Mackey Grayson, adding they are keeping the historical integrity of each window as much as possible.
The archives has hired Eugene Hall to work on the windows. According to Grayson he has worked on many historical buildings throughout the area.
“To me it’s restoring and maintaining a historical building and that is important. This building has been listed on the historical register since the 1970s,” said Grayson.
The building was once used as the county jail.
Repairing the windows will also cut down on utility costs, which is a big deal to an organization running on a tight budget.
“We want to thank everyone for their donations. If the windows were not repaired in this fashion, it would dramatically decrease the historical significance of this building,” said Grayson.
The Lions club held a barbecue in front of the archives last summer and donated 50 percent of the money generated to the archives window project. Most recently, the club held a singing and d0nated $1,200 for the project.
Russellville Lions Club member Logan Chick said the project had to be done one way or another.
“I think it is an important project. They call it the archives and I think it should continue to be restored in its original form,” said Chick.
Archives volunteer Judy Lyne attended the Logan County Fiscal Court meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 27 to present the Russellville Lion’s Club with a plaque of appreciation for all they have done for the window project.
If you would like to donate to the window restoration project, you can visit the archive, which is located at 206 West Fourth Street in Russellville, Ky. 42276 or send a monetary donation. If you wish to sponsor a whole window’s renovation, the archive will place a plaque on the windowsill with the name of the group or individual who donated to its repair. For more information about the archives window renovation project call 726-8179.
Post a Comment
