Friends of the Library Advance Plans for New Wesson Museum

Special to Wesson News

A museum that will tell the story of Wesson is nearing reality next to the municipal park in a building formerly a venue for Boy Scouts.

“With purchase of equipment and building materials related moisture-proofing the building, we are moving forward with the first phase of the project,” says Marilyn Britt on behalf of Friends of the Library (FOL), which is sponsoring and coordinating the development of the museum.

An initial $9,500 Home Depot grant has jump-started the work and has so far been used to purchase a steel back door, seven windows, a dehumidifier and mini-split air conditioner and dehumidifier.

FOL expects Town of Wesson public works personnel and citizen-resident and Home Depot volunteers provide the labor required for installations, necessary repairs and cosmetics.

Britt singled out Home Depot’s Elisha Howard for helping to identify needed work.  “She did a walk-through showed us what needed attention to turn the building into a museum,” she explained.

Britt said the next phases of the building project will include:

• Ceiling lighting

• Lighting for display cases

• Making the building handicap-accessible

• Electrical repairs

• Painting walls

• Repairing floors

The Town of Wesson has agreed to seal the front and north doors of the building to maintain its character.

FOL hopes the museum building will be ready for occupancy by the end of July, but additional funding and volunteer assistance will be needed.