Stemtown Museum building deemed unsafe, historical society discusses options

Sheri Trusty
·4 min read
The Stemtown Historical Society board called an emergency meeting on May 12 to discuss the fate of the society’s museum. The meeting was held in the barn on the museum property.
The Stemtown Historical Society board called an emergency meeting on May 12 to discuss the fate of the society’s museum. The meeting was held in the barn on the museum property.

GREEN SPRINGS - While the village of Green Springs faces the probable loss of an historic structure, it may save another. The Stemtown Historical Society recently learned its museum, which is housed in a home with ties to Allen Watrous, the village’s only Revolutionary War hero, is, in all practicality, unsavable.

But in what seems to be serendipitous timing, the circa 1894 Calvary United Methodist Church is for sale.

The Stemtown Historical Society board — which consists of President Bill Young, Vice President Megan Knieriemen, Treasurer Brenda Rando and Secretary Beth Bower — recently contracted Mark’s Home Improvement to make structural repairs to the museum. During renovations, it was discovered that the building’s foundation is dangerously unsafe, and the board made the unavoidable decision to temporarily close the museum.

Historical society calls emergency meeting

The board hosted an emergency meeting on May 12 to share with the public the challenges the board faces and talk about options for saving the museum.

The Stemtown Historical Society Museum is temporarily closed due to dangerous structural problems. It all likelihood, the museum will remain closed and its displays will be moved elsewhere.
The Stemtown Historical Society Museum is temporarily closed due to dangerous structural problems. It all likelihood, the museum will remain closed and its displays will be moved elsewhere.

Mark Heishman, owner of Mark’s Home Improvement, discussed the problems he discovered as he worked on the home.

“We noticed the ceiling was starting to come down, and when we took lath and plaster down from the ceiling, it started cracking more,” Heishman said. “The floor has dropped three to four inches, and we noticed spots where water was coming in.”

Multiple issues with the home were discovered, including longtime structural foundation issues that have their root in remodeling projects that were completed before the property was owned by the historical society. It was determined that, with all of the structural concerns, there is no guarantee the home could be saved, even if the board approved a renovation project.

Repairs would be costly and dangerous

“It would be very expensive and very dangerous,” Heishman said. “We estimate it would cost about $300,000.”

Adding to the dilemma is the question of the extent of the home’s historic value. Through research, historical society members discovered there is no concrete proof that Watrous ever lived in the home, which was owned by his son. The home and the adjacent barn sit on property once owned by the village’s founder, Jacob Stem. The ties to Watrous and Stem give the property historic value, but the question remains if those ties are worth a hefty investment in an unstable building.

Mark Heishman, owner of Mark’s Home Improvement, talks about the structural problems he discovered during repairs to the Stemtown Historical Society Museum.
Mark Heishman, owner of Mark’s Home Improvement, talks about the structural problems he discovered during repairs to the Stemtown Historical Society Museum.

During the meeting, the board presented options for moving forward to save the museum, with or without the building.

“We could save the structure at the cost of $300,000 with no guarantee it won’t fall apart in the process,” Young said.

The second option is to remodel the barn and turn it into a museum, which will greatly limit display space. A third option is to demolish the home and rebuild a similar-looking home in its place at an estimated cost of $200,000. The fourth option is to demolish the home and build a second pole barn in its place to hold displays.

During the meeting, emotions were high as historical society members and longtime Green Springs residents dealt with the probable loss of the Watrous home, but the mood shifted when a fifth option was presented. The board shared the idea of purchasing Calvary United Methodist Church, which has a long history in the community. Not only did the church hold weddings and baptisms for well over a century, but it also hosted popular community events such as ice cream socials and Election Day dinners.

The community was saddened when the congregation disbanded and put the church on the market, but now it seems the timing may be perfect. The board toured the church with a Realtor and discovered it is structurally sound and would offer plentiful display space.

The Stemtown Historical Society is considering purchasing Calvary UMC for use as its future museum. The church has been an important part of the local community for well over 100 years.
The Stemtown Historical Society is considering purchasing Calvary UMC for use as its future museum. The church has been an important part of the local community for well over 100 years.

With the group’s blessing, the board is moving forward with the idea of purchasing Calvary UMC. While it will be a long time before they determine if a purchase is feasible, the idea has brought hope to the community as it mourns the loss of one of its most beloved structures.

“We’re saving the museum,” said Megan’s husband, Derek Knieriemen. “We’re just relocating and moving forward.”

Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at  sheritrusty4@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Bid to save Stemtown Historical Society building expensive, risky