State commission to consider handing over ownership of Jacksonville museum
By Tim Lockette, The Anniston Star, Ala. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Officials of the
"Our concern was not being able to maintain it," said
The commission is now owner of the museum, a two-room Greek Revival building where, from 1837 until his death in 1888, Dr.
"The threshold of the building is worn down from the feet of all the patients going in and out," said
The building has been on the
Even that may be too much in the current budget climate. According to state budget documents, the
An increase in the near future doesn't seem likely.
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McNair said the agency has offset the cost by raising admission at some of its sites, laying off workers and dipping into a trust fund.
The agency is also considering handing off some historical sites to local governments. In addition to the
"There's still a question about whether we'd be able to do that," McNair said. The agency's Historic Sites Committee will take up that question Tuesday at a meeting in
"It's a great medical museum," McNair said of the Francis building. "It's a great representative of Greek Revival architecture in
McNair said that with reduced staff, the commission wasn't sure it would be able to maintain the building in proper condition.
Some local residents had that concern, too. For the past two years, DaParma and about 80 occasional volunteers have worked to restore the old building, which DaParma says was falling into disrepair.
"It was in sad, sad shape," DaParma said. "The roof was leaking, and things go downhill quickly after a leak. We rewired it and put in HVAC (air conditioning)."
At the outset, DaParma expected the project to cost
"It's a true story of grassroots success," she said.
"I did kind of like the old arrangement," he said. The city already pays the museum's power bill, he said, but now it will pay for the building's insurance as well.
Smith praised the volunteers who worked to restore the building. He said he understood the
"I think it's going to be better that way," he said.
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