缅北禁地

Plumbing problems delay Greene County Historical Museum opening

Historical society launches fundraiser to fix sewage issues

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Clay Kilgore, right, joined by Rich Baker and Allan Stefansky, all of Washington, re-enact the Whiskey Rebellion by opening fire on forces at the home of tax inspector John Neville during last year's opening weekend of the Greene County Historical Society and Museum. This year's Rebellion Weekend, which had been slated for Saturday and Sunday, was cancelled this week after the historical society discovered sewage issues in the museum's basement.

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The Greene County Historical Society and Museum is located in the county鈥檚 former almshouse. Its 2026 opening is on hold as the society looks to repair plumbing problems discovered days before its planned seasonal kickoff. [File photo]

Courtesy of Greene County Historical Society and Museum

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The Greene County Historical Society has launched a fundraising campaign for plumbing repairs at its museum after a sewer system failure forced the delay of its seasonal opening.

Members of the historical society discovered the backup of raw sewage in the basement early this week, days before they were scheduled to host the annual Rebellion Weekend, which kicks off the museum activities for the year.

There鈥檚 no time frame yet for repairs, said Matt Cumberledge, executive director of the historical society. Early estimates put the cost between $20,000 to $40,000.

Built in stages between 1857 and 1889, the museum building was originally the Greene County Home, which served as a poorhouse for the county.

Indoor plumbing was introduced to the building in 1886. Unfortunately, Cumberledge said, the sewer drains that service every bathroom in the building are all original.

After 140 years, the old cast iron pipe has grown corroded and weak, 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 just not functioning like it should,鈥� Cumberledge said.

鈥淲hen they came out and scoped them to do the inspection on them, I think we were 鈥� sort of stunned at how bad they were,鈥� he said.

Cumberledge doesn鈥檛 want to commit to a reopening date yet, since the work to repair the plumbing might uncover more problems that need to be addressed. But he anticipates the building being open this summer for the sesquicentennial 鈥� 鈥渁nd sooner, rather than later.鈥�

He鈥檚 anxious for visitors to see the specially designed Greene County bell commissioned through the America250PA program. Painted by local artist Danielle Nyland, the bell depicts a tableau of sights from the county鈥檚 history.

鈥淲e want to get back in action as soon as possible, but without reliable restroom facilities, we just can鈥檛 do that safely right now,鈥� Cumberledge said.

The fundraising campaign also covers matching funds for other repair projects. The roofs on the main building, barn and library need to be replaced.

And at some point, Cumberledge said, they need to address another issue from the 1886 renovations. To install steam lines throughout the building, workers dug a hole in the foundation, which they supported with iron beams.

The beams, which sit below load-bearing walls, are starting to compress and fail. While there鈥檚 no imminent danger, it鈥檚 something Cumberledge said needs to be addressed.

鈥淲e鈥檝e sort of got a lot on our plate, maintenance-wise,鈥� he said.

A GoFundMe page started in the middle of the week to provide money for the plumbing repairs had already raised more than $5,700 of the $50,000 goal by Friday afternoon.

Cumberledge called the outpouring of support 鈥渘othing short of amazing.鈥�

鈥淲e really have a wonderful community here that really seems to appreciate what we do out here and how hard we work to do it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 personally overwhelmed with the positive support that this has gotten.鈥�

To donate, go to bit.ly/4w4Qjn6.