To the Editor:

The Esperance Museum located at 123 Church St. in Esperance opened on June 20, 1970 — fifty years ago. It will reopen July 4, 2020 at 1 p.m. following COVID-19 restrictions, including wearing masks to gain entry.

The museum is free and open to the public, featuring new exhibits created by exhibits curator Sandy Farah. In addition to the schoolhouse exhibits and the Chapel Research Library, people may tour the Gus LaMonica Carriage Barn, containing farm equipment used or made in the town.

The 1824 old stone Presbyterian Church will be open as well.

For the young people, there is a playground across the street.

Pictures posted at AltamontEnterprise.com show then-Esperance Village Mayor Lawrence Rockwell cutting the ribbon in 1970 flanked by Historical Society President Dorothy R. Edwards and Town Historian and Justice Archie C. Montanye. Larry was kind enough to do a re-enactment 50 years later using the same ribbon and shears from the 1970s photo.

Beverly (née Jones) Schilling, a senior at Schoharie Central School at the time, is shown helping to clean up the butter churn along with Mrs. Bertha Cornell in preparation for the museum’s grand opening in 1970. Beverly, who still volunteers on special projects at the museum, re-enacted cleaning the same butter churn and after 50 years it did need a good cleaning!

Kenneth M. Jones

President

Esperance Historical Society