Volunteers from the Gilmer Historical Society who operate the Tabor House Museum are proud to have recently received a donation of needed items from the East Ellijay Lowe’s store.
“We would like to express our gratitude to Lowe’s for the donation of two modern toilets and seven boxes of face masks to our museum,” said Wayne Hooper, historical society vice president. “In both height and size, the new handicap-certified toilets are a welcome upgrade to our building.”
“The museum has two bathrooms that needed upgraded higher toilets. Ours were leaking, very old and low to the ground. We have some older visitors and these were much needed. So many times the only comments companies hear are complaints, but Lowe’s has always been community-minded,” added museum volunteer Karen Vitelli.
Installation of the two new toilets is one of several recent improvements that have been done at the county-owned Victorian-era home turned museum located at 138 Spring Street. A handicap-accessible entrance ramp has also been installed and various lawn maintenance has been done at the grounds, noted Vitelli.
“(County commission chairman) Charlie Paris has been helpful in getting things done there,” she added.
The Tabor House reopened in May after being closed during the COVID-19 lockdown. Free tours of the museum are still being given, but wearing face masks and social distancing are now required of visitors, noted Hooper.
“We are limiting group size to no more than five people or family groups,” he added. “People only need to phone ahead for visits that are not during our regular scheduled times or they want to schedule a large group in the middle of the week, such as a tour bus.”
The museum is now open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, as well as the first Saturday of each month through December.
“Our displays include native American artifacts and dress, Civil War relics, 100 years of veterans uniforms, Victorian furniture and a children’s bedroom and kitchen of the period,” Hooper noted. “Museum volunteers used the last few months to repaint some rooms, install new flag poles, plant new flowers, reorganize our displays into meaningful themes and establish a picture wall of historic photos while adding hundreds of new items to our displays.”
The historical society would normally present monthly lecture programs at the Gilmer County Library, but those events will be on hold “until the group size limitation is lifted and we have a working COVID-19 vaccine,” noted Hooper.