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| The Sayre Historical Society officially kicked off its three-year $450,000 capital campaign Tuesday. Pictured are, from left: Society Vice President Ken Bracken; Society President Bill Ransom; society member Henry Farley, who chairs the organization's museum collection and design committee; Guthrie Healthcare System President and CEO Mark Stensager; and Society Treasurer Eleanor Hill. Photo by Warren Howeler |
SAYRE - The Sayre Historical Society officially kicked off its three-year $450,000 capital campaign Tuesday with the receipt of a $50,000 donation from the Guthrie Healthcare System.
The theme of the campaign is “Telling Sayre's Story.” The funds raised through the capital campaign will go toward the design and building of the Sayre Museum, which is located within the former Lehigh Valley Railroad Passenger Station.
Tuesday's kick-off also featured the unveiling of one of two thermometers that were created for the society to be used for this campaign. The thermometers - which will be located at the Sayre Museum and in Howard Elmer Park - were created and donated to the society by Jack Lane of Custom Signs.
The thermometers will allow the community to keep track of the campaign's progress, said Society President Bill Ransom.
“The overview of the campaign really starts with the story of this building,” said Ransom, referring to the former Lehigh Valley Passenger Station complex. “It has seen several lives throughout the years, but the life that we're most interested in is, of course, that of the Sayre Historical Society Museum.”
The facility was first constructed in 1881. It became a restaurant in the 1980s, was a furniture store in the 1990s and became the home of the Sayre Historical Society in 2002. It will officially open as the Sayre Museum later this year.
“Our dream for the museum really began five years ago this December when the Sayre Historical Society signed a 99 year lease with Sayre Borough for the use of this building as a museum,” said Ransom. “Since that time, significant interior and exterior improvements have been made including a new roof; a refurbishing of the exterior; a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system; and a soon-to-begin installation of a handicapped-access elevator at the south end of the building.”
These improvements were funded through various state and federal grants, and well as through monies raised locally by the society through fund-raisers such as Arts in the Park - which will be held during the first weekend of August on Aug. 4 and 5, said Ransom.
“We're now able to concentrate on the museum design and build, and to display the many donated artifacts that we have in our collection,” he said. “So today is the kick-off to raise these funds for the design and build of the museum.”
A lot of men and women are working hard to preserve the history of the Borough of Sayre, said Sayre Mayor Denny Thomas.
“And that is very important, because we have a lot of people who come to this town, to move here, and they want to know the heritage of this town,” he said. “This museum plays a major, major role in that.”
Thomas said it was a pleasure for him to take part in Tuesday's kick-off as he has resided in Sayre Borough all his life.
“My father, my grandfathers, my brothers - they were all part of the railroad system,” he said. “And I couldn't think of a better tribute to these people - not only to the railroad, but to all of Sayre - than this beautiful, beautiful building, and I know the hard work that you men and women are putting in here.”
Thomas encourages both the residents of the borough as well as its business owners to help fund the Sayre Historical Society's “very worthwhile” capital campaign project.
Museum Design Consultant Linda Norris, of River Hill Design Consultants, was also on hand for Tuesday's kick-off. Norris developed the title “Telling Sayre's Story” which the historical society decided to use as the theme for its capital campaign, said Ransom.
“I've worked with a lot of different kinds of community museums and one of things that I've been struck with so much here by the Sayre Historical Society is how much this community works together,” said Norris. “So in some ways, the themes of our exhibit is ‘working together, we build our community.'”
During her remarks, Norris talked about some of the artifacts that Sayre Historical Society has on hand to be displayed once the museum is opened.
One of those items was a Christening coat worn by Sayre resident Molly Cacchione, 95, in 1920. Cacchione's story will be told as one part of the exhibit within the museum, which will focus on the lives of people who have resided within Sayre, said Norris.
That portion of the exhibit will be opened to the public this fall, she added.
The other artifact was a pair of work pants owned by Charles O'Connell, who worked on the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
Those work pants - and other similar items - will make up the second part of the exhibit, and will focus on the Lehigh Valley Railroad and different skills that the railroad's employees had, such as machinists, upholsters, welders and conductors - “all those skills that made the railroad possible,” said Norris.
That portion of the exhibit will be open to the public next spring, she added.
“I just wanted to say to everybody today that it is great that we are here,” said society member Henry Farley, who chairs the organization's museum collection and design committee. “Those of us who have been with the Sayre Historical Society since the beginning know how hard we have worked to get to this point.”
The historical society originally began as the Sayre history committee, which was formed in 1989 to write a history for the borough's for its centennial, which was being celebrated in 1991, said Farley.
Once the centennial was completed, the committee became a not-for-profit organization and officially became the Sayre Historical Society, said Farley.
“We lived out of boxes and we moved from place to place. We never had a home,” he said. “We were in buildings. We used the dining rooms at the Packer for meetings. We used the (Patterson) auditorium for functions that we had, and then Sayre Borough - when they purchased (the train station) - thought that they could use it for offices and knew that it was going to work for them to do that, and decided to do the right thing and give this building to the Sayre Historical Society for its use as a museum.”
The former Lehigh Valley Passenger Station was the most important thing in Sayre and was what Sayre was all about, said Farley.
“It (Sayre) was a railroad town and this is where people came to get the trains,” he said. “Here we are, 127 years later, and it is going to be - again - the most important building in Sayre.”
“Guthrie's long history as a health care organization is intertwined with the history of this community,” said GHS President and CEO Mark Stensager. “From our earliest days we have been closely tied to - and associated with Sayre, Pa. - a connection that I believe has served Guthrie and the people and businesses of this area well over the years. In fact, without the interest expressed more than 100 years ago by leaders of this community in having local access to medical facilities, Robert Packer Hospital might never have opened its doors in 1885.”
As Guthrie has grown and become successful in meeting the health care needs of people in Sayre and beyond, so too has this entire community and region, said Stensager.
“The historical society has a wonderful collection of items, and included in their plans for a new building is significant exhibit space devoted to the history of Robert Packer Hospital and Guthrie Clinic,” he said. “We are pleased to be able to provide a measure of support in preserving our shared history through this effort by the Sayre Historical Society.”
The donation from GHS comes in the form of a three-year pledge, Stensager noted.
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Warren Howeler can be reached at whoweler@morning-times.com
