Visitors to the Barclay Farmstead who are astute observers will notice something slightly different about the venerable museum’s presentation from the outside. And once allowed inside, they won’t help but notice what’s brand new.
Thanks to a combination of funding from county and local sources, the 200-year old building has received a total restoration of its windows, windowpanes and shutters. The majority of capital for the project arrived through a Camden County Open Space Grant for $50,000.
The remaining amount, $20,000, was covered by Cherry Hill Township through capital funds earmarked for historic preservation efforts, according to Director of Recreation Megan Brown.
“I’m proud to continue the partnership between Cherry Hill Township and the Friends of Barclay Farmstead,” said Mayor Susan Shin Angulo. “Preserving this important piece of our shared local history helps us to better understand our past and continues to serve as a welcoming place for our community.”
Carolyn Franz, chairperson of the Friends of Barclay Farmstead and the person who helped secure a grant for the window restoration, described why the renovations were necessary during a conversation and brief tour on June 29.
“There’s a lot of wood here,” she explained. “And the wood is getting very old, chipping away from around the window frames. We applied for the open space grant and we were awarded $50,000 a couple years ago.
“Because we are a volunteer organization and the building is actually owned by the township, we work inside it,” Franz added. ”Because (the damage) was over the threshold, the township had to manage the bidding process (for the grant). It took a little bit longer than we thought it would, but once we got that done, we hired Michael Gallant and WMG Historic Renovation for the job.”
Gallant and his company began the project in January, a mild winter on their side. Originally, the project only entailed restoration of the windows themselves. But once Gallant began his work, he started peeling the windows back and realized they were not Colonial-era originals, but fabrications most likely inserted in the 1970s.
“So, Michael said to me, ‘For the same money, I can put a 100-year solution in place and I can rebuild your mahogany windows that will last for that long,” said Franz.
So Gallant and his crew began the process at his Mullica Hill workshop, painstakingly working around the trim of each window with a special tool, pulling out all the rotting wood and replacing it with rich, new mahogany.
“They went ahead and replaced every single window that way,” Franz noted. “And then, while they were at it, Michael came to us and said, ‘Why don’t I donate some wavy glass?’ So every pane in the new windows isn’t that historic glass, but he put it randomly throughout. So, when you walk by, you can see some of it is historic.”
The restoration process uncovered other modern miracles, such as the rear third-floor window having been replaced with plexiglas, to prevent vandals from damaging glass any further with projectiles. Gallant once again restored the glass in that window, which clearly brings in much more natural light — and heat — when observing the upper floor from within.
Now, the company has reached the stage where all that needs to be completed is repair of the shutters and putting the shutters and windows back together.
“We’re near the end of the road with this project,” Franz revealed. “It’s been a labor of love. I want to say, barring weather — and we had that derecho last month which was really wild — I would bet we would be done by July 15.
“We are hoping to have an unveiling party in the fall,” she added. “We’ve thrown a lot of great parties since I’ve been here. We’re thinking about it, but it’s just (a matter of) getting the green light.”
