February 2008

Mary Lou Palmer

December 16, 2007 was a monumental day for the Sayre Historical Society with the Grand Opening of the first gallery of the Sayre Historical Society Museum - the South Gallery, sponsored by and named for the Guthrie Healthcare System.  The opening was not the best day as snow fell heavily and accumulated quickly.  The weather did not deter the 100+ people who where among the invited guests and general public who were treated to an amazing transformation of the old Lehigh Valley Railroad passenger station.  Although the museum is now closed for the winter months, please watch for opening hours for spring and summer and come see “Sayre’s Story.”

The community has given its approval of our museum project with donations from amounts pledged by individuals for the three-year Capital Campaign project to larger family and business donations. 

“Telling Sayre’s Story” is the Capital Campaign which will span the next three years to raise money for the remaining phases of the museum renovation.   The Sayre Historical Society website at www.sayrehistoricalsociety.org  or www.sayrehistorical.com  provides forms for donations to our capital campaign to raise funds for the design and build of our museum in our 125-year-old station.  (Just click on the links to our Capital Campaign for all the information.)  If you do not have access to the internet or if you wish to contact us, please feel free to request a donation form by calling 570-882-8221 or request a form by writing to us at Sayre Historical Society; PO Box 311, Sayre, PA 18840 or by contacting one of the board members listed in the ABOUT US link at the top of each page.

To date we have received sponsorship of the following rooms on the first floor:

• Gift Shop, sponsored by the Burkhart Family
• First (South) Gallery and Exhibits, sponsored by the Guthrie Healthcare Systems
• Second (North) Gallery, sponsored by the Redman-Stephens Family
• Second Gallery Exhibits, sponsored by First Citizens National Bank and FirstEnergy Foundation
• Staging Workroom, sponsored by Visions Federal Credit Union

On the second floor, sponsorship is as follows:

• Collections, Lehigh Valley Collections Room, sponsored by Valley Energy
• Office/Meeting Rooms, sponsored by the Sayre Rotary Club

Among the sponsorships still available are the Lobby, several Second Gallery Exhibits, and the North Stairway on the first floor.   On the second floor the Rotating Exhibit Room, Library, Community Meeting Room, Vault Collections Storage, and Small Collections Storage are still available for sponsorship

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Mary Lou Palmer, Sayre Quarterly Editor

Our plans for the Sayre Historical Society Museum are moving right along.  This museum will be about ALL of Sayre, its railroad history, churches, people, organizations, businesses, police and fire departments, the Robert Packer Hospital and Guthrie Clinic, the Packer and Island ponds, the Sayre Theater and our schools.  The displays will tell the story of our hometown.

At the recent kickoff of the capital campaign, “Telling Sayre’s Story,” Linda Norris, our museum design consultant, told us about two donated items which will tell a story.  The first article was a christening coat worn by Molly Cacchione.  Linda told us that this coat tells a story about Molly, her parents, their store on the East Side of Sayre, Belle Knitting where Molly was employed and the various organizations to which Molly belongs.

The second article was a pair of railroader’s bib overalls.  These tie the Lehigh Valley Railroad family, its union, its band, its employees and the LVRR shops baseball team. 

Linda announced that the first phase of the museum is targeted to open in November of this year.  The second phase of the museum will open in the spring of 2008. 

After working towards a museum for some 16 years, our goal is in sight.  Our first big step was five years ago when the Borough of Sayre signed a 99-year lease with the Sayre Historical Society.  Now to have an opening date is the icing on the cake.

To enable us to continue our work, we need the support of the community, the Sayre Historical Society members and the public.  This support has been shown in the past with your donations of artifacts and photos.  Now we need your further support with our capital fund drive with a goal of $450,000.  You will be seeing a thermometer in Howard Elmer Park showing our progress.  This is a 3-year campaign to raise funds to further our efforts of making our museum one of which all of Sayre can be proud.

Guthrie Healthcare System has started the contributions with a commitment of $50,000 over the next three years. 

The “Telling Sayre’s Story” fund raiser will make it possible for you to spread your commitment over your choice of time.  Don’t feel that you cannot participate to a higher level of donation.  All levels of donations are gladly received in order to help build our museum.  All donations will be permanently acknowledged at the museum. 

We thank all our members who have supported us through the past years.  We are anxious to walk into phase one of the museum design and to welcome all of you who have made the dream of a museum possible. 

Donations may be mailed to the Sayre Historical Society, 103 South Lehigh Avenue, PO Box 311, Sayre, PA 18840.

Sayre Quarterly Volume 18 Number 3, Fall 2006 by Mary Lou Palmer

The HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) project is complete.  James Biery’s Eagle Scout project is nearly finished.  His project was to place protective posts in front of our air conditioning units to protect them from damage.

We have contracted with a museum and exhibit design company to prepare our museum for upcoming displays.  Riverhill from Oneonta, New York will be in charge of these plans.

The architect is preparing information regarding handicap-accessible requirements and to complete the design for the rest rooms and elevator.

It’s been a slow road but the museum is coming together.  We are striving to go forward with deliberation and at the same time, making sure that the project will be one which will make Sayre and our members proud of the museum.

In addition, we will have a new board member for 2007.  Meade Murtland had accepted the position on the Board of Directors.  His term will be for two years.  Welcome, Meade.

We continue to ask your support of our museum.  Your membership and your building fund contributions will help us go forward with our plans for a museum for “all things Sayre.”