Greetings to our Website Visitors:
A significant amount of progress at the Sayre Historical Society Museum was accomplished in 2010. And for that I thank the directors and volunteers for the many hours spent moving the museum project forward.
Our membership currently stands at about 300 folks from across the country. The membership is about equally divided between local residents and out-of-town members. If you are not a member of the society, I strongly encourage you to join. As a benefit of membership, you will receive four issues of a fantastic publication, the Quarterly, edited by our Vice President, Mike Frantz, and loaded with interesting stories about the Sayre area. In addition to your membership, donations are what help keep the doors open to our ever-expanding local history museum. If you are not a member, you can download a membership application from this website. Please join us in an exciting journey to restore the former Lehigh Valley Railroad Passenger Station into a showplace of local history, culture and education for the youngest to the oldest of visitors to enjoy.
- There were significant events and happenings at the museum in 2010:
January 11 was the kickoff of Guthrie’s 100th anniversary of Dr. Guthrie’s arrival in Sayre. The celebration started at the museum, which 100 years ago was the Lehigh Valley Railroad Passenger Station where Dr. Guthrie came to town. 2010 was also the 125th anniversary of the Robert Packer Hospital, so it was a joint celebration at Guthrie all year.
In November we recognized Henry Farley, former Society President and long-time board member, for his many years of service to the society by naming the soon-to-be completed second floor meeting room, the Henry Farley Community Room.
At our Christmas Dinner Meeting we recognized Society founder, first Society President and also long-time board member, Jim Nobles for his contributions to the society from its inception by naming the Jim Nobles Library in his honor.
The Arts in the Park festival usually held in August was cancelled due to lack of vendor interest. The board decided to concentrate on conducting several special events at the museum in 2011.
Our Museum Collections is ever expanding to a point where we need to be much more selective as storage space is becoming a serious issue. Artifacts donated must have a direct tie to Sayre or the Lehigh Valley Railroad.
- Some of our more significant acquisitions in 2010 were:
St. John’s Lutheran Church donated a 100-plus year-old pump organ that had been used in the original Lutheran Church on Elmer Avenue.
A 1905 United States Marine full dress uniform and a great coat, worn by U. S. Army General Jim Davenport, a Marine corporal in 1905, were donated by his daughter, Marty Schreck. As a Marine, General Davenport sailed around the world with President Teddy Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet. He later served as an Army officer in both World War I and World War II.
A large HO model train layout was donated by the family of Charles Dixon. It was moved from his Draper Street address to the museum and set up on the first floor, thanks to the volunteer efforts of an outstanding group of museum volunteers. Materials to prepare the room for the layout installation were donated by Warren Croft of Croft Lumber Company.
- The Sayre Historical Society Museum saw a number of exciting happenings last year.
Visitors for the 2010 season increased to about 450. They came from a wide geographic area: Cartagena, Columbia; London, England; and all across the United States.
Several Sayre High School Class Reunions made the museum a part of their weekend festivities.
Waverly Family Resource Center held a field trip to the museum for parents and children. The two model train layouts and the bell from a steam engine were the two prime attractions. I still have a slight ringing in my ears.
Students and advisors from the Athens Seventh Grade Leadership Program met at the museum and were briefed on the museum and a bit of Sayre history. They drafted a script to be used by the student guides, organized a bus trip to local museums and the students conducted the tour group through the museum. It was a real joy working with these young folks.
A Greater Valley Chamber of Commerce Mixer was hosted by us at the museum in December. Thanks to Valley Energy for providing the snacks and refreshments.
We participated in the Sayre Christmas parade and feedback from participants and parade goers was fantastic.
- A number of noteworthy museum projects were completed in 2010.
The design and the layout of the Stephens/Redman Gallery were completed mid-year by Linda Norris of Riverhill Partners, our museum exhibits designer.
A major upgrade to the security system was completed with the installation of inside and outside security cameras.
Interior storm windows were fabricated and installed and pull down fiberglass window shades purchased and installed. The storm windows are UV blocking acrylic. The storm windows and shades will provide for improved energy efficiency and artifact protection. We fabricated the storm windows for about a third of the cost of commercially available units. This project was funded by grants from the Allen F. Pierce Foundation and Northern Tier Regional Planning.
The Sayre Postcard History Book was undertaken with Arcadia Press. The process started in April and the completed book was delivered in October. The sale of the book has been a huge success and sales will continue at the museum’s Burkhart Gift Shop and other outlets in the Valley. The book can be ordered and mailed by using the Order Form links found on the Home Page of the website. Thanks to Jim Nobles for spearheading the project by assembling the photos, postcards, and graphics and writing captions that tell the story of our town.
Due to the slow economy, federal and state grants and large organization donations were pretty much nonexistent for the last two years.
- In 2010 we finally saw funding start to flow again.
We received a significant donation from Chesapeake Energy. Northern Tier Regional Planning provided a grant for energy conservation. Our faithful supporters the Allen F. Pierce Foundation, Bradford County United Way, and IBM came through again. Guthrie Healthcare donated $1000 in honor of Henry Farley for his efforts in pulling together celebrations for the 125th Robert Packer Hospital anniversary and 100th anniversary of the Guthrie Clinic. The capstone for 2010 was a $50,000 donation from Sayre Borough from the proceeds of the sale of the Blue Swan Airport. Lack of necessary funding had stalled the completion of the Redman-Stephens Gallery, the next major exhibit in the museum. This exhibit will focus on the Lehigh Valley Railroad and how it influenced the growth and development of Sayre.
The Stephens/Redman Gallery will be completed and dedicated on May 28 during Memorial Day weekend. This new gallery will feature displays that show how the diverse nature of the Lehigh Valley Railroad influenced the growth and development of Sayre through employment, education, and social activities.
The Henry Farley Community Room and the Jim Nobles Library will be completed and dedicated on April 2 when the museum opens for the 2011 season
Co-chairs Val Crocker and Meade Murtland and the Events Committee are working on some interesting and exciting plans to happen at the museum this year.
Ken Bracken, President
