Framing Our Future
Efforts have been underway since 2020 to fulfill a key element of our organization’s mission: To operate a museum and historical library that also serves as headquarters for the Longswamp Township Historical Society and a gathering place for the community.
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Over the last four years, the project to create a museum space has been modified several times.
The first phase of the museum building construction began in February 2024 on property leased to the Historical Society by the Longswamp Township Board of Supervisor. This property is adjacent to the existing Pavilion 2.
Initially, the plan called for moving, restoring and repurposing the nearby 1875 Mertztown train station. Following Covid 19 and the ensuing (and continuing) inflation, the cost of this option ballooned beyond what we believed would be possible to raise. For this reason, the Board of Directors voted for a more affordable option that would honor the great history of America's biggest technological game-changer (the railroad) and how it has impacted Longswamp Township and adjacent municipalities since the East Pennsylvania Railroad opened its tracks for business in 1859.
The modified plan called for repurposing reusable materials from the severely dilapidated 1875 Mertztown train station to aid in a visual recreation of the station's interior. A replicated interior of the original station would be housed inside a metal board and batten shell and constructed to mimic the shape and current paint colors of the station's exterior. Additional square footage will be incorporated into the footprint of the new structure to provide adequate storage and volunteer workspace.
In early 2024, a decision to yet-again modify the plan for the museum was approved by the Board of Directors. The original plan to extract the scant, reusable materials from the 1875 train station for installation in our future museum building has been abandoned.
We will, instead, refocus efforts to affordably replicate the look of the station, both inside and out, so as to honor the original station's historical significance to the community. After all, the tracks running through Longswamp Township were, for many years, the area's major artery and the station, its heart.
You can help provide vital support to make this project a reality. Donations of all sizes are welcome through our website store or by check made payable to Longswamp Township Historical Society and mailed to P. O. Box 610, Mertztown PA 19535-0610.
The Longswamp Township Historical Society has been designated as an IRS 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Our EIN number is 30-0720739.
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CURRENT ESTIMATED FUNDING GOAL: $290,000 AMOUNT RAISED TO DATE: $124,167
