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BLUE RIDGE SUMMIT, Pa. — It takes money to keep history alive.
Park Director John Miller said "funds are running extremely low" for the Battle of Monterey Pass Museum. The museum, on Pa. 16 near Charmian Road east of Waynesboro, Pa., opened in 2014 with 130 artifacts on display. It’s funded solely by donations and the staff are all volunteers, Miller said.
The purpose of the museum is not only to tell about Pennsylvania's second largest Civil War Battle but how it affected the people of Washington Township, Pa., he said.
“I want people to understand the importance of having this park here,” he said. "Whether you are a history buff or a nature buff — we are trying to connect to our neighbors. That way we can keep donations coming in, because that’s how we operate." Right now, the park is seeking $4,000 for trail maintenance and museum items, he said.
Just to purchase a rare diary that belonged to Lt. Henry Bonebrake, a Waynesboro resident and the only Medal of Honor recipient from Franklin County, Pa., cost $2,500. Bonebrake was in Monterey Pass before Gettysburg, Miller said. Washington Township applied for and received a state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant to pay for a parking lot off Charmian Road at the Lions Club Park, which is now owned by the township. A grant from Franklin County is paying for the interpretive panels on the trails, Miller said.
The annual operating budget for the museum and park is approximately $10,000, he said. Despite the grant money, Miller said it won't pay for trail maintenance and items for the museum. The $4,000 would replenish funds and help going into the future, he said. But even that amount might still be too little.
Miller said there is a core area of the battlefield off Pa. 16 — about 3 acres — that will be auctioned this month. “We have no money to buy it,” he said. “We’re going to end up losing that because we don’t have the reserves, and once that land goes and it’s built on — we’ve lost it forever."
The park has set up a webpage to accept donations at https://fundly.com/montereypass.
Park Director John Miller said "funds are running extremely low" for the Battle of Monterey Pass Museum. The museum, on Pa. 16 near Charmian Road east of Waynesboro, Pa., opened in 2014 with 130 artifacts on display. It’s funded solely by donations and the staff are all volunteers, Miller said.
The purpose of the museum is not only to tell about Pennsylvania's second largest Civil War Battle but how it affected the people of Washington Township, Pa., he said.
“I want people to understand the importance of having this park here,” he said. "Whether you are a history buff or a nature buff — we are trying to connect to our neighbors. That way we can keep donations coming in, because that’s how we operate." Right now, the park is seeking $4,000 for trail maintenance and museum items, he said.
Just to purchase a rare diary that belonged to Lt. Henry Bonebrake, a Waynesboro resident and the only Medal of Honor recipient from Franklin County, Pa., cost $2,500. Bonebrake was in Monterey Pass before Gettysburg, Miller said. Washington Township applied for and received a state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant to pay for a parking lot off Charmian Road at the Lions Club Park, which is now owned by the township. A grant from Franklin County is paying for the interpretive panels on the trails, Miller said.
The annual operating budget for the museum and park is approximately $10,000, he said. Despite the grant money, Miller said it won't pay for trail maintenance and items for the museum. The $4,000 would replenish funds and help going into the future, he said. But even that amount might still be too little.
Miller said there is a core area of the battlefield off Pa. 16 — about 3 acres — that will be auctioned this month. “We have no money to buy it,” he said. “We’re going to end up losing that because we don’t have the reserves, and once that land goes and it’s built on — we’ve lost it forever."
The park has set up a webpage to accept donations at https://fundly.com/montereypass.
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