LIVERMORE FALLS — Maine’s Paper & Heritage Museum at 22 Church St. is working to raise $25,000 to receive a $25,000 grant to repair the foundation.
Museum President Greg Bizier said last week that the museum has until the end of November to raise the money. “We have been working at it for almost a year,” he said. So far, about $8,000 has been donated.
“The building was built in 1906,” he said. “In the spring or when we get a lot of rain the foundation will leak. It pulls sand right into the basement. It is very humid down there. We don’t want that.”
Maine’s Paper & Heritage Museum at 22 Church St. in Livermore Falls, seen July 15, needs repairs to the foundation. To receive a $25,000 grant from the Historic Preservation Fund, the museum needs to raise a $25,000 match by the end of November. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser
Bizier said the foundation is starting to bow in spots.
Two years ago the museum received a grant to assess necessary structural work. An engineering firm from Portland went through the entire building, provided a Historic Structure Report Assessment and the estimated costs, he said.
“Almost $1 million is needed to get the building fixed and up to code,” Bizier said. “I almost fell over.”
Fixing the foundation is the starting point, then the leaky roof, he noted.
“The foundation and masonry at Maine’s Paper & Heritage Museum is being supported in part by a $25,000 matching grant provided by the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior and the Maine Historic Preservation Commission,” Bizier said. “We have raised about $8,000 so far.”
Sherry Judd, vice president of Maine’s Paper & Heritage Museum, attends a yard sale and strawberry shortcake fundraiser July 15 at the museum in Livermore Falls. A $25,000 grant to repair the foundation requires the museum to match that amount by the end of November. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser
The museum held a yard sale and strawberry shortcake fundraiser July 15.
“It’s been really busy,” Sherry Judd, vice president, said. “The yard sale has been bringing in a lot of people. We do a lot of tours.”
The museum building was built in 1906 by Judson Record, one of the first industrialists of the area. In 1917, the property was signed over to International Paper and became the residence for managers of its nearby paper mill. It later became an office. In 2007 IP donated it to the museum.
The wood-framed, two and a half story building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The museum houses an extensive collection of artifacts and interactive displays from the papermaking industry. It includes equipment used in logging and other aspects of papermaking, scale models, photos and memories from paper mills, history of local communities and working vintage model trains.
The annual papermakers heritage celebration will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 26; paper crafts and pie sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 30; and trick-or-treating from 4-6 p.m. Oct. 31.
For more information about the museum go to papermuseumofmaine.org or its Facebook page. Donations may be made on the website or mailed to Maine’s Paper & Heritage Museum, PO Box 293, Jay, ME 04239.
The museum is open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for tours through the end of August. Tours may also be arranged by appointment.
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