Museum Board Named

By Joel Frady

The Museum of Ashe County History named six people to three-year terms on their Board of Directors at their annual meeting on Monday, Oct. 27, at West Jefferson United Methodist Church. Linda Payne was the only

new board member, joining five tenured members: Donald Long, Bruce Miller, Katrina Miller, Jim Payne and Ward Sexton.

The six members appointed join 20 other members that make up the museum's board. The Museum selects six people at their annual meeting. Eight members are also appointed, four by the Ashe Historical Society and one each from the towns of Lansing, Jefferson, West Jefferson and Todd.

Long, who is the museum's curator and vice-president, said that he looks forward to continuing the work he has done with the museum since he was approached to join the board three years ago.

"The more I find out about it, the more fascinating it becomes to me," he said of the history of Ashe County. "We have a history here in this county that goes back to Daniel Boone and the first settlers that moved into Western North Carolina. Those people and the people who came after them developed this area and left a very interesting story, something that people here can be proud of.

"I want to help tell that story," he said.

The Museum also recognized B.J. and Dareleen Bare for a donation of $50,000 the pair made to the museum. Gwen Ashley, president of the museum, said that they will be presented with a brass plaque and a book of family history.

Ashley also gave the audience an update on the status of the historic 1904 courthouse in Jefferson that the museum will soon call "home."

"We have completed the interior restoration," she said. "We've restored all the windows. We are in the process now of finishing up the plastering. It's being restored to the way it was in 1904. We're in the process of restoring the floors, so we'll be able to move exhibits over this winter and, hopefully, have a really grand opening in the spring."

Ashley noted that they chose to restore the museum to it's original condition instead of renovating it.

"We didn't want to paint over what was there," she said. "It took lots longer and lots more money. We're proud of it, and I think the community is going to be really proud of it."

Long added that despite the hundreds of artifacts the museum has, he considers the courthouse to be the museum's "primary exhibit."

The Ashe County Board of Commissioners granted a 99-year lease on the property to the museum in 2002. Since then, they have added heating and air conditioning and installed new electrical and plumbing systems.
The Museum of Ashe County History is currently located on Main Street in West Jefferson, between Jefferson Town Hall and First Charter Bank. To find out more about the museum, call (336) 846-1904 or click to www.ashehistory.org.