4/5/02
The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History’s Jenkins Plantation Museum at Green Bottom will be closed April 6-May 10 for minor repairs, including weatherproofing and work on the electrical wiring. The museum will reopen with regular operating hours (Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) on May 11 for the Division’s annual Civil War Camp.
Located on West Virginia Route 2 between Huntington and Point Pleasant, the museum is the former home of General Albert Gallatin Jenkins, a notable Civil War leader of the Confederate 8th Virginia Cavalry. The 1835 house, built in the tradition of Tidewater, Va., is noteworthy for its architecture and is in the National Register of Historic Places.
The weatherproofing, which will include insulating the ductwork and water heater, and sealing cracks to reduce air infiltration, is being done as a result of an energy audit conducted last spring through the West Virginia Development Office’s Rebuild West Virginia program. The goal of the program is to improve the energy performance of historic structures. The Jenkins Plantation Museum was selected for the pilot program because it is one of the historic sites owned by the state and because it has not yet been fully restored.
“In addition to reducing energy costs at the museum, these measures will help preserve the structure,” said Stan Bumgardner, assistant director of programming for the Division. “This work will help control moisture and insect infestation in the house, which in turn helps prevent deterioration.”
Bumgardner added that the repairs to be done this month are part of a number of initiatives the Division is undertaking to stabilize the house in anticipation of its restoration by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Water Resources Development Act of 2000 includes language authorizing the Corps of Engineers to preserve and restore the house in accordance with standards for sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Division leases the Jenkins house and four surrounding acres from the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) to use as a museum and interpretive site. DNR, in turn, leases the entire Greenbottom wetlands area from the Corps of Engineers.
For more information, contact Stan Bumgardner at (304) 558-0220, ext. 121.
The West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The Department of Arts, Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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