The Historical Commission’s Abbot Hall attic museum subcommittee is moving forward with plans to transform the underutilized attic space of Abbot Hall into a museum chronicling the town’s history, with preliminary designs completed and fundraising strategies now the focus.
During a recent meeting, members explored the attic and discussed next steps for the estimated $6 million project that would convert the 8,000-square-foot space with 22-foot-high ceilings into exhibition galleries spanning four centuries of local history.
“We want to make the history available to the public and also to visitors and to schools,” said Pam Peterson.
The project, which has been in development since 2001, would be divided into two phases: infrastructure work estimated at $3.6 million and exhibit installation costing about $2.3 million.
Historical Commission member Edward O. Nilsson, who chairs the attic museum subcommittee and has been involved in the planning, said the committee already completed some preliminary work including a digitized scan of the entire attic.
“They actually [did a] digitized scan of the whole attic, and that was very helpful in getting a jump start on the building with its dimensions and drawings,” Nilsson said.
Committee members are now focusing on fundraising strategies, including creating informational materials to present to potential donors.
“One of the next steps is a trifold or a brochure to actually make the case statement,” Nilsson said.
Peterson added that such materials would help explain the project to the public in an accessible way.
“The [preliminary designs] booklet gives a lot of good, solid information, but the average person is really not going to read through all that. Whereas if we did a trifold thing that sort of explains the focus, and as you said, case statement, it would help explain,” Peterson said.
The subcommittee plans to approach large donors initially before launching a broader fundraising campaign. Members noted that naming rights for galleries and exhibits could be a powerful incentive for major contributors.
The proposed museum would feature dedicated galleries organized around four historical periods, potentially offering up to naming opportunities for donors. The space would primarily house permanent exhibitions with rotating components and a children’s area.
Infrastructure improvements represent a significant portion of the project budget. The next phase would require approximately $200,000 to complete construction documents and specifications.
The committee hopes to complete the museum in time for significant historical commemorations — like the upcoming 250th Revolutionary War events.
“The idea originally was to have an opening for the anniversary,” Riegle said, with other members suggesting 2027 as a target date.
The committee expects to finalize its fundraising brochure soon, which could lead to a presentation before the Select Board to update officials on the project’s progress.
