DANVILLE — Each year the Hendricks County Museum undergoes some renovations and remodeling around the months of January and February.
This year, the museum reopened to the public on Saturday, following the most recent round of renovations.
The upstairs hallway was redone, as well as the upstairs bathroom. Five layers of wallpaper were removed in the upstairs foyer and it was painted to blend in with the staircase wallpaper.
The bathroom project was more involved, as it included removing a false ceiling to reveal 20-foot ceilings and a second set of windows. Wallpaper was also removed from the bathroom, and new flooring, a sink, and a new toilet were installed.
Gail Tharp said they were not aware that there was a false ceiling until the daughter of a former sheriff who lived in the building said she remembered high ceilings in that room.
Before the building was the Hendricks County Museum (the museum started in 1974), it was the sheriff’s residence and jail. It was built in 1866 and served as the county jail until the museum took it over. Back then, the sheriff and his family resided in the building.
“We didn’t know this was once opened up,” Tharp said. “When we came in, the ceiling was in here. But she said when she lived here that it was opened up. She remembered sitting and looking up. We’re thinking when the last sheriff was here it was put in. But we got interested and opened it up.”
The foyer project was funded through a grant from Duke Energy and the County Museum Board. The bathroom was also restored through the financial efforts of the county, museum board, and Lowes.
“The last two years we’ve done the downstairs foyer and sheriff’s office,” Tharp said. “We’re hoping for more money to do the military room and the kitchen work.”
Tharp said the original kitchen has a very high tin ceiling that was painted over and is now peeling. The military room also has some water leakage problems and they plan to add a fresh coat of paint to it once the leaks are fixed.
However, that all takes money.
“We’re looking for more money now,” she said. “We operate on donations and grant money.”
Because the 150th anniversary of the Civil War is next year, Tharp said they wanted to have the military room done to celebrate.
The museum is owned and maintained by the county, but the museum is responsible for renovation and remodeling of the exhibit areas. It is the only surviving example of the Second Empire style of architecture in the county. It was also the first building in Hendricks County to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. An exterior renovation of the building was completed in 1996.
The current exhibit is “Former Landmarks,” which features the Rockwood TB Sanatorium in Washington Township, Cartersburg Springs of Liberty Township, and the Van Camp Packing Co. of Guilford Township.
The museum is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. It is at 170 S. Washington St., Danville.
For more information about the museum, visit the website at www.hendrickscountyhistoricalmuseum.org or call 745-4784.
charlee.beasor@flyergroup.com
Local News
Related Photos
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A sign in front of the Hendricks County Museum in Danville announces that the museum is open again following some remodeling and reconstruction during January and February. CHARLEE BEASOR/FLYER PHOTOS
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The newly remodeled upstairs bathroom is open and airy, with new fixtures that fit into the time period. A false ceiling was removed, a new toilet was installed, and fresh coats of paint were applied.
County museum re-opens after remodel
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