After sustaining flood damages on Mother’s Day, the Lampasas County Museum remains on the road to recovery.
All items inside the museum have been removed to allow repairs to proceed. Museum volunteers are asking for the community’s assistance with monetary donations to help the nonprofit cover the costs. So far, the museum has received around $6,000.
“We are delighted to have it, but we need a whole lot more,” Lampasas County Museum Foundation member Carol Wright said. “We have had to do a lot more reconstruction.”
Randy McGuire, also a member of the Lampasas County Museum Foundation, said insurance was unable to assist after rain entered through the building’s north side. He added that renovations are expected to cost $175,000 – much more than anticipated.
Fortunately, before the water damage, the museum was in a healthy place financially. McGuire noted the museum has experienced success with its annual Western on Western Street Dance fundraiser. However, the museum was hoping to purchase storage space or expand to a new location.
Suitable options have proven difficult to find, he said.
“There is not much available around [town] that we wouldn’t have to put three times as much money into,” McGuire said. “There is not enough land around where we could put up a barn and say ‘Here is our new museum.’ The [current] location is perfect, because everything we would look at would move us away from the center of town.”
The museum cleared the building of all exhibits in June. McGuire said he was stunned when crews discovered serious longterm water intrusion issues caused by the building’s original construction.
“The way they built it back then, they built the walls and put the roof on top of the walls. There was no seal between the top of the roof and the rafters; it was just masonry,” McGuire explained. “Over 125 years, it deteriorated, and every time it rained, water would seep down.”
A city inspection revealed additional structural issues. The original rafters measured 19 feet, well beyond the typical 14-foot maximum. Also, center joists were a cobbledtogether arrangement of four 2-by-6-inch beams.
To stabilize the roof for another 125 years, crews are set to install several new 8-by-8-inch beams sourced from Oregon. McGuire anticipates the beams will be erected by the end of next week.
Work completed so far includes the rafters and masonry work on the roof. The museum building already has withstood several rains with no further leaks observed. Outside of the support beams, next steps include rewiring of the electrical system and installation of new lighting.
When the repairs are complete, museum supporters and visitors can expect a different interior.
“We just have to get used to it,” Wright said. “I don’t like change, but we are going to have to change.”
Those interested in supporting the museum may do so by visiting First Texas Bank and making donations to the Lampasas County Museum Foundation. Donations may be made digitally on Venmo to @LampasasCounty-Museum.
McGuire noted the importance of preserving the museum’s authentic collection as the community comes together to help it recover.
“Almost everything that is in that museum came from somebody’s grandma or grandpa’s barn, house or attic,” McGuire said. “It is all Lampasas County history. We don’t have props in there. It is real Lampasas history.”
