LEYDEN — A historic local building could become the new town museum.
The Historical Commission is launching a fundraising campaign in hopes of buying the former blacksmith’s shop near the town center.
Commission members said the vacant building could serve as a permanent storage space and an educational center, and hope to raise the $150,000 necessary to purchase the building. They hope to reach their goal in the next five years, said Ginny Rockwood, Leyden Historical Commission chairwoman.
“We are doing everything in our power to do this. It’s a win-win situation. The town will have it forever. People can start donating,” said Rockwood. “I think people support the idea, but a lot of people don’t have deep pockets. They certainly understand the necessity.”
Currently, many town historical documents are kept in private residences, in the Leyden Methodist Church and in Town Hall. Over the years, the town has had to turn away residents looking to donate historical items. “There are people in the town that take local history seriously and who are concerned about preserving it for the future,” Rockwood said.
Over the years, town historical items have been lost, stolen or damaged because there is no proper place to keep them.
“A lot of this stuff has been misappropriated and disappeared,” said Bob Snow, vice chairman and founding member of the Historical Commission. He currently has a trailer on his property containing records, including handwritten town meeting minutes, which by his estimate date back more than a hundred years. The trailer is about halfway to its capacity.
The building that the commission hopes to purchase was at one time a gas station and a blacksmith shop. It’s conveniently located, within walking distance from Pearl Rhodes Elementary School, Town Hall and the Robertson Memorial Library.
“This is the last viable place near the town center,” said Rockwood. “So we’ve been working hard to try to get the word out.”
For more information about the Leyden Historical Commission or to donate to the project, visit leydenhistoricalcommission.weebly.com.