AT Museum Volunteer Newsletter - Volume 2, Issue 2

Volume 2, Issue 2 - December, 2014
brought to you by Joe Harold, Appalachian Trail Museum Manager

The snow is starting to fly about and the museum is all tucked in for the winter.  We removed the sensitive items from the exhibits and the water has been turned off. The ramp continues to get built, (but will on hiatus again soon, for winter). And the basement awaits a coat of paint and its new exhibits.  We moved the artifacts out of the second floor (see story below) and the second floor is getting ready for its renovation.  My winter tasks have started as I figure out what to restock for the retail sales and place the orders.

An uncommon angle of the museum

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Artifact Move

On December 10th, I gathered a crew to move the large amount of artifacts that have accumulated on the second floor to our new storage space over in Carlisle.  

The setup

Ed and Ron at work

A very successful system

I picked up a U-Haul and headed to the museum.  After some thinking, we figured out the easiest way was to use the new ramp.   We put down some decking and a couple up top would move the boxes to the ramp where people down below would take them and put them in the truck.  Margy used her mad packing skills to ensure everything would fit nicely into the truck and in about an hour and a half, we were heading to Carlisle.  

Carol, Michele and Ron at the truck (Margy is in there somewhere too)

Jack, Ed and Jim on the upper loading dock

I parked the truck at the loading dock and we started to move the items from the truck to the elevator.  Our new storage space was on the second floor and the large freight elevator would come in handy.  Everything had been going perfectly so far...

At the loading dock

I went up to the storage area to open the door and get it ready and I notice that the lock was not on the hasp and the hasp had been broken.  I looked inside and there before me sat at least 50 refrigerators, filling the space.  I was at a total loss.  I went down to the office and asked what was going on and there had been a misunderstanding and they had thought the space was rented to someone else.  

They found a temporary space where we could put the items on the third floor and we loaded up that space pretty much all the way.  Now, once they fix this fiasco, we will have to go back and move everything down to the second floor, where it belongs.

So the move achieved the first goal, to clear out the second floor, but we still have a job to do to get all those items down to where they belong.  

Artifacts gone...

Carol in temp storage room.  I think we were getting irradiated. 

Michele, Jack and Joe filling the temp space

All finished.  Ron, Jim, Joe, Margy, Michele, Ed and Jack.  (And Carol taking picture)

Much thanks to the volunteers of the day.  Ed, Carol, Jack, Jim, Margy, Michele and Ron.  I couldn't have done it without you.  It was still a fun day considering.

I treated those who could stay to a nice lunch over at Applebees (with Margy's gift card help).
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Visit to ATC for Open House

On Saturday, December 6th, my wife Lisa (AKA LoGear) and I, headed to Harpers Ferry to visit the ATC during their annual Open House.  There were plenty of goodies to eat and lots of very cool people to talk to.  The day was a little rainy, but that didn't stop us for taking a short hike to the trail (I had hiked out of and into HF a few times, but never walked the blue blaze to the ATC).  After that we headed down the hill to check out the shops.  There was a special event going on down there too and there were Union Soldiers and others in period dress walking all around.  It was pretty cool.  Laurie Potteiger had to get all the "museum" people outside for some pictures.  We all had a great time.  

LoGear, Carol, Phys Ed, EarthTone and Yellow Shoes

Two Union Soldiers walk up the "trail" in town

Unique buildings

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Things Coming Down the Trail

January 23rd - 25th, 2015 - Northern Ruck - Bear's Den, VA

January 30th, 2015 - South Mountain Partnership Breakfast  
February 14th, 2015 - Riverhouse Valentine's Day Fundraiser and Dance
February (TBD), 2015 - BillVille comes to help at the Museum
March (TBD), 2015 - KTA Membership Celebration and Film Fest

March 28th, 2015 - Museum opens for its Sixth season.