Museum work

FORT RECOVERY — Repairs to the exterior of Fort Recovery State Museum are now complete.

The state museum located at 1 Fort Site Street had extensive repairs done to its exterior in the past few weeks.

Repairs to the museum — it is one of 58 state-recognized historic sites across Ohio — include replacing rotten wood, reglazing windows, painting, caulking, sealing brick and filling holes in the masonry.

This is the first time since its construction in 1938 that it has received several repairs at once. Ohio History Connection is covering the costs, which are estimated between $20,000 and $25,000.

Ace of Trades owner Dean Zehringer accepted the job and began working a few weeks ago. The original cost, set closer to $20,000, climbed a bit higher than expected because Zehringer noticed some of the exterior wood was rotting.

Museum director Nancy Knapke noted that she originally planned for the repairs to be done in the fall, but Zehringer took the job as soon as Ohio History Connection offered it to him.

“He put us at the top of the list,” she said.

Repairs should be done by the end of this week, Knapke noted.

In addition to the military and prehistoric history it holds, the building itself is also like an exhibit, Knapke explained. It was originally built to be a village library, which was moved several years later. It was also the last Ohio Works Progress Administration project, a job program offered under the New Deal created by former president Franklin D. Roosevelt.

There has been work done to the inside of the building in recent years, such as adding to the Arthur St. Clair and Anthony Wayne exhibits in 2010 and renovating the upstairs prehistoric exhibit in 2013.

Knapke noted the museum had small repairs done to its exterior since she became director in 2008, including news windows and lights. The museum hadn’t received anything extensive to its shell until now.

She acknowledged that Zehringer is a Fort Recovery resident and specializes in restoration work.

“He really appreciates old buildings and old architecture, and he enjoys restoring it back to its original state,” she said.

Zehringer’s last project consisted of remodeling the old fire station on Wayne Street just around the corner from Pak-a-Sak.

“I like fixing old stuff,” he said, noting that he prefers restoring to demolishing buildings. “Even if you have to put a new twist on it, at least you’re saving something.”

Fred Smith, director of facilities management at Ohio History Connection, noted that Fort Recovery is intertwined with its history.

“Where does the village stop and its history begin?” he said. “It strikes me as one place where the people embrace their history, and it shows. It really shows.”