Gather Place Undergoes Exterior Renovations In Yardley

YARDLEY, PA —After the interior of the borough's Black History museum went through extensive renovations in March, now it's time for touches to the building's exterior.

The Gather Place will undergo exterior renovations over the next several weeks, Shirley Lee Corsey, the museum's conservator and executive director, told Patch Wednesday.

Corsey said the exterior restoration by Greenleaf Painters LLC began Wednesday and includes the repair, painting, and restoration of the historic landmark built in 1877 by African Americans who crossed over from the nearby Delaware River from Trenton, N.J. to what was then called "Yardleyville."

Corsey has called the work "Restoration Day" at the OLD A.M.E. Church.

The museum will remain open to the public on Friday and Saturday with the other days of the week by appointment only.

Corsey said the museum will host a Summer Arts Camp for children beginning June 19. Camp hours are 9 a.m. to Noon Monday through Friday. Enrollment is open now.

In March, contractors worked to replace the roof of the historic South Canal church. Work on the interior was also done with the church's wood floors sanded and the lime plaster walls, dating to the 1800s, being repaired and painted.

The renovations come as part of a $50,000 check awarded to Corsey by state Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D-10) to renovate the historic African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.

The 146-year-old structure is the first African American woman-owned and operated American History Museum to open in Bucks County. The museum features first-person history lessons and live reenactments in addition to its permanent exhibits.

And that's not the only historical painting project in town.

The Old Library by Lake Afton is being repainted by Yardley's own Nick McHale Painting, the Yardley Historical Association posted on Facebook Wednesday.

"There is a lot of prep work to be done as is to be expected of a building of its age," the association said.

The original square structure on the east side was constructed in 1878. The addition to the west was built in 1958-59.

The Yardley Historical Association said contributions to the Old Library's maintenance are much appreciated.