As I’ve written about previously, Green Turtle Cay’s Albert Lowe Museum suffered significant damage due to Hurricane Dorian. A number of blog readers have asked how they could contribute to the museum’s restoration, and now there’s an easy way to do so.
Green Turtle cay property owners and museum supporters Mat and Shannon Matlack have established a GoFundMe page to raise funds for the restoration and repair of the museum and its exhibits and artifacts damaged by Dorian.
Estimates are that it will cost a staggering $100,000-$200,000 to complete the necessary repairs. The museum’s main building and outdoor kitchen roofs — installed only a year before Dorian — need full replacement.
Dorian also damaged the museum’s eastern porch support beams, leaving the second floor overhang to sag precariously. Though the porch has been temporarily propped up, permanent repairs are needed. Numerous shutters and windows will need to be remade.
Inside, the intrusion of wind and water has warped much of the historic wood flooring and damaged the historic wallpaper beyond repair. The wallpaper has been removed to prevent the spread of mold, meaning that all interior walls need to be sanded, prepared and painted.
Water-damaged lighting fixtures, including the living room chandeliers, must be replaced. And the electrical and plumbing systems need repair.
Many artifacts and exhibits, including original paintings, antique furniture and model ships will need delicate and painstaking repair.
As you can see, the to-do list is long and heartbreaking.
The Albert Lowe Museum is not just a prime tourist attraction — it’s a vital educational tool for the hundreds of Bahamian school children who visit each year. As the first historical museum in the Bahamas, it has served as a model for a number of other museums throughout the country.
And since the building in which it’s housed, itself a historic artifact, is one of the oldest remaining structures on the island, it’s vital that we preserve both the museum buildings and priceless artifacts within.
Please help by contributing to the newly established GoFundMe page if you can, and please feel free to share this post to anyone else who may be interested in assisting.
