Renovations Underway At Gather Place Museum In Yardley

YARDLEY, PA —Renovations are underway at the borough's Black History museum this week as a contractor replaces the roof of the historic church with work expected to be completed by the end of the month.

Shirley Lee Corsey, conservator and executive director of the Gather Place, said she expects the museum to reopen on April 1.

"I've scheduled all of March to get these renovations done," Corsey told Patch Wednesday. "My goal is to maintain and retain as much historical value as possible. We're just sprucing everything up."

Watch a video of the renovations here.

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

"I'm a very action-oriented person," said Corsey, adding that a historical architecture review board approved the renovations in January and hired a contractor who was able to start renovations immediately.

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.

Corsey said the roofing is expected to take a few days.

Work on the interior will also be done. She said the church's 146-year-old wood floors are being sanded and the lime plaster walls, dating to the 1800s, are being repaired and painted.

"We found a great old-school contractor who specializes in the repair, restoration, and painting of these walls," said Corsey, who said that work should be completed by the end of the week.

Built in 1877, the Gather Place is being restored by Corsey, who has held numerous events over the past few months at the museum dedicated to African-American history.

On tap next week is another contractor who will refinish the original 1800s wide wood plank flooring, sanding down to the original grain and then adding a polyurethane finish, she said.

"Once all this is done, we will be working on final touches and then putting back up our museum items," Corsey said.

Corsey plans on making more improvements.

She will seek grants and donations for other exterior projects, including repairing and painting the original "Victorian Board and Batten" wood siding and the church's cathedral-style windows.

With the renovations, Corsey said she is taking Gather Place exhibits on the road to celebrate Women's History Month.

Corsey said the museum will provide programs to schools, community-based organizations, and other interested groups, or companies at venues throughout the Bucks County and the South New Jersey area as well as on Zoom.

She has a few programs lined up already:

• Sunday, March 12, 1-4 p.m.: Charter Day, Pennsbury Manor (PA State historic William Penn estate) 400 Pennsbury Memorial Rd., Morrisville. The event is open to the public.
• Sunday, March 26, 11:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.: Yardley Friends Meeting House. (Private event).

The March programs are geared toward:

• Commemorating Lucretia Mott and Frederick Douglass abolitionist and women’s suffrage movement pioneers (women’s right to vote) and their connections to Bucks County.
• The African-American Suffragists History Forgot: Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Ida B. Wells.
• Pennsylvania's women who contributed to the cause for the abolition of slavery and women’s right to vote.

For more information about the Gather Place Museum, its mission, and community engagement opportunities, visit the Gather Place website.