I recently received an email from Patty Mondore who writes articles for the Thousand Island Sun newspaper as well as other outdoor magazines.  Patty had written an article about the Red Barn Preserve earlier this year and was wanting to obtain an update on what the Gateway Museum has done since the first hiking trail was opened on Memorial Day this year.  Her request caused me to think about all the interesting and exciting things the Gateway Museum has done to the Bogardus Farm property since it was bequeathed to the Museum in 2017.  I decided to share the story that I passed along to Patty with the readers of this Blog.  It is truly an interesting story of how a small museum in upstate New York took an undiscovered piece of property and converted it into a public use facility.  It is also a story about reaching out to the community and capturing their interest in this project.  And finally it’s a story about wildlife and environmental conservation – and a Rookery of Blue Herons.  Here is the information I gave Patty Mondore.  
 
When the Gateway Museum officially took possession of the Bogardus 160 acre farm (it was bequeathed to the museum from a founding member of the museum in 2017) there were concerns by the museum's Board of Trustees about this asset.  There were many questions to be answered.  What would the museum do with a farm property?  Would the cost of ownership drain the coffers of the museum?  Should the property be sold?  Do we have enough volunteers to do the maintenance work on the property?  Is there any way the museum could get a revenue stream from the property?
 
The property came with significant deed restrictions that basically said the site must remain forever wild.  There could be no commercial activities.  No logging operations were allowed.  The land could not be subdivided.
 
Armed with these restrictions- and a lack of understanding about what the carrying costs would be- the Board debated long and hard about our next steps.  A number of Board members decided that selling the property would be attractive and eliminate the financial risk. Others voiced optimism about possibilities for creating a "public use" facility with work funded by donations and Grants.  At the end of discussions - the President of the Board proposed that the property be held for 5 years while efforts be made to explore a long term plan for the site.  The motion was approved.
 
Within a month of the Board decision to keep the property one of the Board Members -Susan Shelato called the Thousand Island land Trust organization (TILT)and asked that they come to the farm.  Two representatives appeared and hiked the property with several board members.  The visitors were astonished at what they saw. At the rear of the farm was a nesting site for Blue Herons - known as a Rookery.  They advised that there are a very few blue heron rookeries in the North Country.  They also pointed out that there was an abundance of wildlife everywhere- deer, beaver, rabbits, and fox to name a few.  It was amazing to everyone how wild the 160 acres were-  one would have thought that a farm would be flat land devoid of trees and ponds.  In fact - the "farm" had not been farmed in over 50 years and the owner had used excavation equipment to create four large ponds that occupy over half the site.  At the end of the visit the Thousand Island Land Trust made it clear that they would be interested having an easement granted to them to create hiking trails.  They further suggested that the Museum try to develop the site and they would offer advise -as needed.  Better yet the TILT representatives provided the museum with a suggested hiking trial layout using GPS coordinates from their exploration of the site.
 
Susan Shelato made several other calls to wildlife experts and invited them to visit the farm.  Professor Glenn Johnson from SUNY Potsdam is a wetlands expert and arrived with a friend from the DEC.  Both were pleased with what they saw and confirmed to the Museum that the property is truly unique.  The next phone call went to Michael Parks.  Michael owns his own consulting firm specializing in wetlands and is a recognized expert on Blue Herons and Blue Heron Rookies.  While Michael's demeanor is soft spoken and quiet - his smile revealed his enthusiasm for what he saw.  He announced to Susan and the other board members-  you do indeed have a very special place.  He counted over 60 Blue Heron nests.  While this visit in the late summer of 2017 was not during the active nesting season- Michael said that the nests were in such great shape he had no doubt - they would be occupied in the Spring of 2018.
 
As the news spread of how special the Bogardus Farm property was- Museum Board members and volunteers decided to go ahead and brush hog a hiking trail along the route proposed by the Thousand Island Land Trust organization.  It was October 2017 and a perfect time to do this work.   300 feet of the proposed trail would require the construction of a boardwalk across a marshy area along a large pond.  This could be done in the Spring
 
In November of 2017 - the Museum went before the Town of Morristown and requested help from the Town Highway Department to build a boardwalk and to construct a parking lot along the access road to the property.  Hearing the stories about the Blue Heron Nesting site - the Town Board readily agreed to help.  The Town also agreed to allow the Museum to submit an application for a Grant to the St Lawrence County Redevelopment Authority to develop a hiking  trail at the site.  The Grant was submitted under the Town Of Morristown's  name.
 
On February 10, 2018 a Museum Board member hiked to the back of the Red Barn property and confirmed for the first time that Blue Herons were occupying the nests in the Rookery! The board member counted 40 birds.  This observation validated everything the experts had predicted.
 
In April/May 2018- the Town of Morristown Highway showed up as promised and built a parking lot off the frontage road to the property as well as a 300 foot boardwalk across the marsh land area.  On May 26th- the first hiking trail was opened to the public.  The trail was a bit rough that required hikers to climb over fallen logs and to negotiate soft spots in wet areas near the ponds.  Local hikers from the area were polite when asked about the trail - offering lots of support for the museum volunteers and occasionally some advice on improvements.
 
In June- a Boy Scout from the largest Boy Scout Troop in the area came forward and requested permission to use the trail and the opportunity to improve the trail as an Eagle Scout project.  Eagle Scout projects require a minimum of 100 hours labor and serves to provide the Eagle Scout a chance to show organization and leadership skills.  On June 16th -15 scouts, parents and volunteers converged on the Farm site to spend a day bringing the trail up to Boy Scout standards including widening the walking area to six foot wide.  The work also included constructing a small bridge made out of logs across a narrow stream and adding mulch to all the soft areas.  At the end of the day - the hiking trail was as nice as any trail in the area including the ones in nearby Jacques Cartier State Park.
 
Late in June the Museum was notified that the Grant was approved.  $12,250 was to be provided to improve the property.   These funds represented a gold mine to the museum and insured that significant improvements such as signage, kiosks, and improvements to the Red Barn would be paid for.  The Grant also funded a second hiking trail that would be built in early 2019.
 
Word of mouth spread the news about the hiking trail and hikers began to appear daily.  The Board approved a resolution to rename the Bogardus Farm- the Morristown Red Barn Preserve.  In early August professional designed signage was installed along River Road East in two locations- at the Red Barn entrance and at the parking area adjacent to the trail entrance off River Road East.
 
Traffic at the Red Barn Museum continued to grow over the summer months.  Newspaper articles about the site and friends telling friends brought in daily hikers who were curious about what was going on at this beautiful site.  An annual Artist event in Morristown in early August brought 30 artists to the property to paint landscape scenes.  The only complaint registered was - where is the port-o- potty ?  By the end of August volunteer worker bees proudly install a new outhouse near the boardwalk- complete with half moon door design.  
 
Volunteers continued to make improvements.  Using the Grant money- a kiosk was installed near the Red Barn, a new water pump installed to provide water to the farm house, red barn and garden and weathered siding on the south side of the barn was replaced and painted.
 
By now the buzz about the Red Barn Preserve was getting louder and louder.  Donations to the Museum began to appear with specific notes directing monies to be spent at the Preserve.  A common request was to buy and install Park Benches.  In early September - eight concrete park benches were purchased.  Five were installed immediately along the trail and three were put in storage to be used on the second hiking trail.  The community was truly inspired by work going on at the Red Barn Preserve.  The museum also noticed little things like some of the neighbors across the street from the farm mowed not only their own lawns but they also would cross River Road East and mow the shoulder of the road along the Red Barn property.  Can it get any better than this?
 
The answer is yes it can.  In early September a resident of Morristown approached the Museum and asked if they could fund the renovation work on the farm house.   This stunning development caught the museum by surprise.  The farm house renovation work had been planned in the later years of the museums 5 year plan.  The Board of Trustees met shortly after the offer was made and approved this request.  Work started in the Fall and was shut down for the winter in late November.  It is expected that the renovation will be substantially completed by the Fall of 2019.
 
More good news was received when Dr Jessica Rogers From SUNY Potsdam attended one of our museum board meetings to ask permission from the museum to conduct a two year study of invasive plants at the Red Barn Preserve.  While we were not thrilled to learn that we had purple loosestrife plants invading our wetlands and strangling our cattails- we were inspired by Jessica's presentation on how there may be ways to slow this activity down and even stop it.   Dr Rogers further volunteered to have her interns help our volunteers to identify and label plant species along our trails.  The Board is committed to environmental  conservation and quickly approved the request to study purple loosestrife.
 
Looking ahead to 2019- the museum is planning  to build a second hiking trail by Memorial Day.  The trail will be level and cross through a second pond on the property.  A second 300 foot boardwalk will be built to cross the marsh land area.  The trail will also be constructed closer to the Blue Heron Rookery.  An observation deck will be constructed to provide better views of our majestic birds  as well as views of the beaver dams on the property.  The last leg of the trail will pass through a wooded area. It is expected that this new trail will be 3/4 of a mile long.
 
Another activity planned at the Preserve is the planting of a garden near the beginning of Hiking Trail #1-  not just any garden.  The Museum has obtained and will plant Atlantic Giant Pumpkin seeds and attempt to grow a 500 pound pumpkin ! One of the museum volunteers has grown 300 pound pumpkins in the past- so we are hoping it is not too big a stretch to grow a 500 pound monster.
 
Should the museum be successful securing another Grant- the Red Barn will be improved by painting the roof with aluminum paint and a new stone wall will be built to replace the stone wall that is falling apart along River Road East.
 
Its been a little more and 18 months since the Red Barn Preserve was acquired by the Gateway Museum.  No one could have predicted how well the development of this site and its hiking trails occurred.  The discovery of the Blue Heron Rookery was the driver for this project.  It drove the energy and enthusiasm for the Board and volunteers.  This in turn created excitement in the community.  The excitement of the community funded Grants and caused citizens to step up to support the plan.
 
The museum began with asking questions about what to do with a 160 acre farm.  18 months later we answered that question and look forward to continuing this journey   

Dean Shelato
December 10, 2018

Our beaver residents at the Red Barn preserve are working overtime to get ready for winter.  We have lost over a dozen trees in the last month to their aggressive attack on our poplar trees. One of the trees measured 12 inches in diameter!  It is fascinating that a single beaver can take out a tree in one days’ time.  Our tree stand of poplar trees is small and there is concern that we may be wiped out if the attack continues.

Three museum board members met with the Town of Morristown Highway Superintendent Dean Hoffman at the Red Barn Preserve to review the plans for our second hiking trail.  The Highway Department will once again construct a 275 foot boardwalk along the marshy area adjacent to our second pond.  Work will be done in the Spring – in time for a Memorial Day opening of the trail.  The museum is grateful for the support from the Town and Highway Department to make this happen.

Work continues on the Farm House.  We have ordered 15 windows to replace the old ones that are worn out.  A tree contractor has been hired to remove two large locust trees with branches hanging over the house.  The real danger with these locust trees in the splitting that occurs in the main trunk o the trees.  These badly damaged tree trunks are at risk to the high winds that we get from time to time. Most of the house has been gutted.  Ceilings were removed in the downstairs areas.  Floors and subfloors have been torned up.  Plumbing fixtures in the first floor bathroom have been removed.  The entire second floor bathroom and its fixtures have been removed as well.  The kitchen and washing machine room have been taken apart.  With winter approaching we will close down the project in the next couple of weeks and resume in the spring.   

We have an outhouse !  As our foot traffic has increased over the late summer and fall months on the hiking trail it became apparent that we needed some facilities to accommodate the needs of our guests.  Amazingly our Amish neighbors build commercial outhouses that are sold internationally.  (I was told the biggest customer is in Canada).  We proudly mounted the traditional crescent shape on the door to make sure people knew what was this building was doing out on the trail.

Our community continues to donate artifacts to the museum.  Gloria Johnson donated a portrait of her grandmother painted by Charles Chapman and a chair belonging to a Civil War veteran.   Gary Premo has donated a Muskie fishing pole that belonged to his father.  This pole comes with a wooden case with a leather handle and is excellent condition.  Thank you ! 

To prove we have a sense of humor- read this story.  A very nice lady called me up last month and said that her mother-in-law had just passed away and had a dining room table that “George Washington had sat at”.  She had no proof to support this claim. She did provide a credible story of how this furniture had been in the family for many generations.  While technically this donation does not meet our acceptance criteria where our artifacts must have a connection to Morristown - we decided it was such an interesting piece of furniture we accepted it and hope it fits into our Farm House after the renovation has been completed.   

The Board is putting the finishing touches on our schedule of Activities for 2019.  Most people do not realize how far in advance these activities have to be scheduled.  The music groups from the Summer Concert Series operate under contracts.  These contracts are done 9 to 12 months in advance of the event unless you are Fort Drum.  We have invited the Fort Drum band to appear and they will not commit until about 90 days ahead of our requested date.  We have also scheduled Jake Tibbles- Executive Director of the Thousand Island Land Trust to speak to us about TILT.  The Thousand Island Land Trust wears the big boy pants when it comes to conservation and hiking trails in the North Country.
 
I mentioned last month that the museum decided to get involved with the “Welcome to Morristown” sign project.  As everyone one knows- after 12 years the three signs installed  by the Chamber of Commerce are worn out and need to be replaced.  Four members of the Board of Trustees for the museum are working with a sign company to come up with an attractive replacement to what we have today.  A presentation will be made to the Town of Morristown board in their November meeting.
 
I have made it a point to end each of my Blogs seeking Volunteers to join us at the Gateway Museum.  We have way too much fun each summer with all of our activities.  We welcome anyone who would like to work a couple of hours for the museum.  It’s not too early to provide us your name and interests for next year.  I would be happy to add you to our list of volunteers.  Please call me on my cell phone at 614-205-8437.

Dean Shelato
November 11, 2018

As the leaves fall from the trees- its time to welcome the cool weather and prepare for winter.  We sadly closed our Main Street doors for the year on September 30th.   It’s been a wild year for us and a year we will remember for some time to come.  We held our annual garage sale, opened the Big Fish Exhibit, sang with 7 bands in the summer concert series, listened to two speakers talk about the Rail Road ferry between Morristown and Brockville and the Status of Sturgeon populations in New York, opened a hiking trail at the Red Barn Preserve, sponsored our annual Benefit spaghetti dinner, conducted weekly yoga classes, taught a small group of community friends how to paint a barn quilt, and worked on the Bogardus Farm house.  Some of museum team members have suggested it just might be time to slow things down and catch our breath!

While we catch our breath the Museum Board met twice earlier this month to attend planning meetings. The projects and activities for 2019 need to be planned in advance.  For example the summer concert series has been discussed and contracts issued to bring in 9 musical groups next summer.  A grant will be applied for to construct a second hiking trail and facility improvements at the Red Barn Preserve.   We have penciled in thoughts for two guest speakers, proposed two crafts classes , requested our Board member Gary Alford host a shore dinner, scheduled  two Volunteers days, and talked about maintenance projects that will need to be completed before the end of the summer.  Looks like 2019 is shaping up to be another busy year.

We may have closed the Main Street museum doors for the season but we have not closed the Red Barn Preserve.  Some of you may have noticed a lot of cars parked at the farm over the last couple of weeks.  Our volunteers are scrambling to finish a few projects.  George Coslar and Jeff Swift built a wonderful Kiosk next to the barn that will be used to display our hiking trail information.  Rich Bzura got a chance to test out his paint sprayer on the south side of the Red Barn.  The garden plot was harvested and plans are in place to grow at least one giant pumpkin next year.  Thanks to the donations from friends of the museum-5 new park benches have been placed around the Preserve.  A couple of board members have laid out the rough location of the proposed second hiking trail and a new outhouse has been installed . 

I mentioned last month that Dr Jessica Rogers (Assistant professor of Environmental studies, SUNY Potsdam) requested permission to conduct studies at the Red Barn Preserve to eliminate an invasive species know as purple loosestrife.  Jessica presented her project to the Gateway Museum Board of Trustees and it was approved.  During the summer of 2019 and 2020 Jessica and her summer interns will set up test quadrants to determine the most effective way to control this plant.  While we are sad to know that we have a lot of purple loosestrife around the Preserve- we are happy to have Jessica help to eliminate the species.

The most exciting news this month concerns the Farm House at the Red Barn Preserve.  The Farm house is a wonderful stone house build in 1835.  It needs a lot of work to make the place livable.  Money has been raised from the community to start the renovation of the house.  Work started last week and will continue until Spring.  The former owners of the property Allan and Loraine Bogardus would be proud to see the effort museum members are putting in to bring about all the changes.
 
The Gateway Museum and its volunteers work hard to bring positive changes to the community.  Most of the time the efforts are focused on developing new exhibits or creating recreational opportunities at the Red Barn Preserve.  Sometimes our members reach out beyond our normal boundaries to make a difference.  Recently several board members got together to talk about replacing the three “Welcome to Morristown” signs that have badly deteriorated over the last 12 years.  These signs were originally installed by the Morristown Chamber of Commerce.   New graphics have been prepared and a fund raising drive launched to pay for this work.  We hope to have the new signs up before the end of the year.

We welcome anyone who would like to work a couple of hours for the museum.  It’s not too early to provide us your name and interests for next year.  I would be happy to add you to our list of volunteers.  You can provide us your contact information through the website or call me on my cell phone at 614-205-8437.

Dean Shelato
October 16, 2108

With the passing of Red Grandy- the museum felt it was appropriate to dive into the archives and retrieve some of the famous photos Red had taken over the years.  Red had visited the Gateway Museum a few years back and given a talk.  The current display shows some of Red’s best work- including his famous photo of General Eisenhower at the moment he learned President Truman had fired General MacArthur. The display will be available until the museum closes for the season on September 30th.

The new Red Barn Preserve signs have been installed along River Road East and are attracting a lot of attention.  Up until now people driving by the Farm property seemed uncertain about the place being open to the public.  Neatly mowed lawns and an active garden made it seem like someone was living there.  The signs have changed all of that and this has resulted in an increase of visitors to the property.  Other improvements in the last month include new wood siding on the south face of the Red Barn, purchase and installation of a new outhouse, installation of concrete benches and construction of a service road along a portion of the hiking trail to facilitate getting wood chips to the forested trail area. 

Speaking of the hiking trail- our latest Grant funds a second trail across the property.  With fall approaching and the heavy brush subsiding- it is time to start planning a trail blazing project.  If this proceeds like last year’s event to plan trail number 1- it means getting out the knee high rubber boots and traipsing across marshy areas and some fairly heavy brush.   With pink trail marking tape in hand and a hand held GPS unit- we should be able to mark a new trail that somewhat parallels River Road East. 

I have often written in this Blog about the abundance of wild life all over the farm. Sometimes I write about the Blue Herons and the wonderful nesting site we have along the western end of the property.  Today I want to mention the beavers.  We have beavers that live in our ponds .  I admit I was concerned about these guys being frightened off by the hundreds of people that hike our trail along these ponds.  I no longer have this concern- last week one of these critters dropped a large 5 inch diameter tree across our boardwalk causing a temporary shutdown of the trail !  This happened in a short amount of time- perhaps one night.  I think these guys are sending us a message.   

The Red Barn Preserve is also excited to have caught the attention of Dr Jessica Rogers.  Dr Rogers is an assistant professor of Environmental Studies at SUNY Potsdam and has requested that the Preserve participate in a study to eliminate an invasive species known as purple loosestrife.  The purple flowering plant has established a strong foothold on the property and any solutions to eliminate this plant are welcomed.

Volunteer Day at the Red Barn Preserve will be held Saturday September 22 from 9am to 3pm.  The Gateway Museum is excited to be able to invite all the people that have signed up or expressed an interest in working at the Farm.  The day will be filled with projects such as cleaning out the Barn, painting the exteriors of the farm buildings, and performing hiking trail maintenance.  Volunteers will have a chance to work side by side with Museum Board Trustee members to participate in a day of fun

The Summer Concert Series ended in August and the team has already met to decide what to do next summer.  There were 7 concerts this year.  We expect to have 9 concerts next summer including the military band from Fort Drum.  The Morristown Fire Department pavilion has worked well this year to house the concerts and we are looking forward to doing the same next year.

I wrote last month about the planned Pat Ceresoli Benefit Spaghetti Dinner scheduled for August 17th-  - hoping that it would be a success.  This is our largest fund raising event of the year.  The dinner was a huge success and record breaker for attendance.  Well over 200 people turned out.  Thank you Don Ceresoli for the fantastic job you and your family have done to make this such a success.

The museum accepts donations of artifacts.  Our criteria for accepting items involves a couple of considerations.  First of all- does the item have a connection to Morristown?  Does it have historical value ?  Does the museum have room to store and/or display this item.   We were pleased this month to accept a Glenwood Base Heater No.6 pot belly stove dating back to the mid 1890’s from Carolyn Deeley.  This stove is in excellent shape, beautiful and ornate.  It may be used at our Red Barn Preserve site in the near future.  Thank you Carolyn

Our volunteer organization continues to grow and we welcome anyone who would like to work a couple of hours for the museum.  There are numerous things you can do for us to help the museum.  If you like working outdoors- we have endless projects out at the farm.  A new volunteer recently explained he was good at maintenance and before long he was wiring the new electrical service in the pump house.  Others have asked if they could work on our hiking trail project- and the answer was yes!  We are currently looking for someone who has knowledge of computers and web cameras. We need someone to help us catalog museum artifacts.  If you have experience in fundraising- we need you!  If you know how to apply for a grant- we need you (and if you do not know how to apply for a grant- we will teach you.   The bottom line is- we have a lot of fun and we think we provide a great service to our community.  If you want to help- please call me on my cell phone at 614-205-8437
 
Dean Shelato
September 15, 2018

The opening of the new exhibit entitled “Big Fish- Making a Living from the River” and the attention drawn to the opening of the Red Barn Preserve hiking trail have attracted a lot of attention from the community and tourist trade in the area.  RECORD NUMBERS OF PEOPLE have visited the museum.  This excitement extends to all of the museum’s activities including the new exhibit, Red Barn Preserve, Summer Concert Series, Grants and YOGA classes

The new exhibit opened June 30th with a ribbon cutting ceremony.  Press releases and favorable newspaper articles caught the attention of the public and has BROUGHT HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE to the 309 Main Street location.  Visitors have included local politicians, educators, historians from nearby communities, a bus load of school children, many tourists , and local residents who had not stopped by the museum in over 10 years.  Many guests were caught up in the moment and shared their own stories of what it was like to fish the St Lawrence River.  Other guests gravitated to other museum displays and were amazed to see the hand-crafted village display of Morristown depicting the village in the year 1900. 

The opening of the Red Barn Preserve hiking trail on May 26th and subsequent ribbon cutting ceremony on July 6th ATTRACTED HUNDREDS MORE PEOPLE to this area.  While we have not completed signage and kiosks nor provided sign-in sheets to our visitors , we see groups of people daily parked along the frontage road and trail parking lots.  The Plein Air art community captured the natural beauty of our Preserve when over 30 artists painted there in late July .  Newspaper writers covering activities in the great outdoors in Upstate NY have discovered the Red Barn Preserve and printed positive articles on the site including Patty Mondore from Syracuse writing for the Thousand Islands Sun.  Patty writes: “This trail is so new- I had to resubmit this article to add it.  It is an amazingly beautiful trail, winding through a variety of terrains, and includes a 300 foot boardwalk over a marsh, with an active blue heron rookery within sight”

The summer concert series hosted by the museum at the Fire Hall pavilion on Monday nights has nearly completed its concerts for the season. Most of the concerts have been attended by over 100 people.  When you consider that the Village of Morristown has only 325 people-  it's amazing to draw over 100 people to an event ! We think this HIGH ATTENDANCE IS YET ANOTHER RECORD for the Museum’s amazing year.

We are especially proud of our success in attracting grant funds for our projects.  The Sweetgrass Foundation awarded us money to help pay for the new fishing exhibit.  The St Lawrence River Redevelopment Agency awarded us $12,250 to build the hiking trail at the Red Barn Preserve.  With help from Senator Patty Ritchie we have applied for a $50,000 grant to provide heating, air conditioning and building improvements to the Main Street Museum building.  We have also received grant money from New York State to support our summer concert series program.  This is a RECORD NUMBER OF GRANTS for the Gateway Museum!  More importantly , these grants  signal  that there are people and organizations that believe in what we are doing and are willing to help underwrite our projects.

The Wednesday summer Yoga classes have SET NEW ATTENDANCE RECORDS.  This activity seems to have benefited from the increased traffic to the Museum’s new exhibit and positive press about the activities of the museum.

We are hoping that the Pat Ceresoli Benefit Spaghetti Dinner on Friday August 17th will set a NEW ATTENDANCE RECORD and provide the Museum with funds needed to operate for another year.  This is the museum’s largest fundraising event of the year.  Please plan to join us at the Fire Hall from 4:30pm to 7pm Friday night.  In addition to providing a great dinner the Museum will raffle off 10 wonderful and unique gift baskets.  And for those remembering the Harbor Inn in Morristown- Don Ceresoli has donated his bar surface to the museum.  The Bar top will be displayed at the dinner.  This surface has hundreds of pictures of local people taken over the 30 years that the Harbor Inn operated in Morristown.  Those pictures will bring a smile to your face and a few of them are darn embarrassing!

With all the records the Museum has set this year- the thing that I am most proud of is the increased interest in volunteering to work for the Museum.  These are exciting times and we welcome help from anyone who wants to give some time to make Morristown even better than it is today.  We are planning to grow our exhibits for next year and will need help to bring about these changes.  If your interest lies with the Farm property- we plan on building a second hiking trail and to improve the Red Barn facility.  Now is the time to step forward and talk to us about your interests.  You can stop by the Museum or call me on my cell phone- 614-205-8437

Dean Shelato
August 14, 2018
 
 

  The June 29 evening celebration of the opening of the museum's new fishing exhibit entitled “Big Fish- Making a Living from the River” was well attended.  Over 100 people turned out to enjoy wine and appetizers and mingle with their community friends.  The Town of Morristown Supervisor- Frank Putnam did the honors of cutting the ribbon at the public ceremony the next day.  Guests attending these events included Hallie Bond – the consultant who researched and help design the exhibit, members of the Town of Morristown Town Board, A representative of the Sweetgrass Foundation, media representatives, and museum trustees and donors.  The Exhibit is officially open and guests are encouraged to visit at no cost. Pictures can be viewed on this website home page Galleries Tab- under 2018 Gallery 1

On July 6th over 50 people attended the ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the opening of the hiking trail at the Red Barn Preserve.   The Town of Morristown’s Highway Superintendent- Dean Hoffman cut the ribbon.  Boy Scout Troup 9 from Heuvelton sent 4 Boy Scouts and Scoutmaster Joe Bouchy to the event to escort guests around the three quarter mile long trail.  We think we have the nicest hiking trail in St Lawrence County with views of Blue Herons on their nests, beaver dams, a 300 foot long board walk through a marshy area, and amazing encounters with all types of wild life.  If you do not see at least one deer along this path- you are making too much noise!   Pictures can be viewed on this website home page Galleries Tab- under 2018 Gallery 1 and 2018 Gallery 2

There has been a flurry of activity out at Red Barn Preserve in the last few weeks.  In late June the museum was awarded a grant in the amount of $12,250 by the St Lawrence River Valley Redevelopment Agency to install hiking trail #2 and to make improvements to the Red Barn.  We have invited an architect to help us create plans for converting the Red Barn into a public use facility.  We have been busy soliciting bids for the work outlined in the Grant application including foundation repairs to the Red Barn, water pump replacement for the well, window and siding repairs, and signage for the property.

Our garage sale on June 16th was a popular fund raising event with the community.  Museum friends donated many hundreds of items to the sale.  

Trustee Rich Bzura organized a group of volunteers to create an inspiring museum float for the 4th of July parade in Morristown.  Rich created several large decorative banners displaying pictures of our two themes this year-  “Big Fish- Making a Living from the River” and “Hiking Trail for the Red Barn Preserve”.  The centerpiece of this elaborate float was the elevated blue heron nest and blue heron decoy mounted high in the air above the float trailer.  Boy Scout Troup 9 from Heuvelton provided five scouts in uniform to toss candy from the float. Pictures can be viewed on this website home page Galleries Tab- under 2018 Gallery 2

The summer Concert Series kicked off July 7th with the popular group- The Shoes. Over 120 people attended the event- many of them dancing under the Morristown Fire Department pavilion. Pictures can be viewed on this website home page Galleries Tab- under 2018 Gallery 3

The Museum Board of Trustees held their annual election of officers.  Dean Shelato was elected president of the Board- succeeding Gary Alford.  Gary is running for judge in Ogdensburg and decided to step down to dedicate more time to his campaign.  Chris Coffin was elected Vice President, Carolyn Johnson Secretary and Patty Reagen Treasurer.  Museum Volunteer George Cosler was elected to the Board.

Grants continue to be an important part of the museum business.  Without money from Grants the museum would have a difficult time sponsoring activities such as the summer concert series or new exhibits such as our current- “Big Fish- Making a Living from the River”.  With help from State Senator Patty Ritchie- we have applied for a $50,000 Grant to provide upgrades to our museum building including adding heating and air conditioning to the building. 

Our volunteer organization continues to grow and we welcome anyone who would like to work a couple of hours for the museum.  There are numerous things you can do for us to help the museum.  If you like working outdoors- we have endless projects out at the farm.  A new volunteer recently explained he was good at maintenance and before long he was wiring the new electrical service in the pump house.  Others have asked if they could work on our hiking trail project- and the answer was yes!  We are currently looking for someone who has knowledge of computer and web cameras. We need someone to help us catalog museum artifacts.  If you have experience in fundraising- we need you!  If you know how to apply for a grant- we need you (and if you do not know how to apply for a grant- we will teach you)  The bottom line is- we have a lot of fun and we think we provide a  great service to our community.  If you want to help- please call me on my cell phone at 614-205-8437

Dean Shelato
July 16, 2018

The Big Fish Exhibit will open Saturday June 30 at 9am at the Gateway Museum main street location.  The hard work is finally over.  The first floor of the museum has been painted, new carpet installed, artifacts collected and cleaned, and new graphic signs installed.  The exhibit is sensational!   It will be a proud day for the museum when we open our doors on June 30th.  Many people have worked hard to put this together.  Several local citizens are featured in the displays including Allan Bogardus the sturgeon fisherman and Jim Evans the muskie guide.  We look forward to showing off our newest project.

Our hiking trail opened to the public on May 26th.   The Morristown Highway Department spent several days building our new 300 foot long boardwalk through the marshy areas of the farm.  Boy Scout Troop 9 from Heuvelton worked all day June 16th to make trail improvements to create a first class hiking trail.  Evan Cosler from the Troup chose our location for his Eagle Scout project and led the boys on making these improvements.  As we have been reporting for the last several months, there are over 40 blue herons nesting in the trees at the back of the property and these magnificent birds can be seen in their nests from the trail (bring binoculars !). This blue heron rookery is just one of a few in the North Country and represents a very special experience for our hikers.  It is almost impossible to hike this trail without seeing deer.  One hiker reported seeing a turkey hen on a nest of nine eggs.  If you are quiet – you can see the beavers working to improve the third pond along the trail.  A few  of us attempted to re-establish Allan Bogardus's old garden near the farm house, but are losing our battle with all the critters out there.  We recently found a large snapping turtle laying eggs in a newly planted row of tomatoes!

We completed our fund raising garage sale June 16th.  Thanks to all the people who donated to our cause.  The money raised will be spent funding the many projects and activities sponsored by the museum

The barn quilt workshop will kick off June 18th.   It is not too late to sign up.  See our Events Calendar on the home page of our website for details on how to join this class.

Yoga classes start on Wednesday, June 27th.  There are two classes each week- beginners and intermediate.  Please see the Events Calendar for more information about how to sign up.

Our annual fund raising drive is underway.  We have sent a patron letter to our donors.  This is our largest fund raising event of the year.  Early response has been fantastic.  Several donors have targeted their donations to buy benches for the hiking trail at the Red Barn Preserve.  Another donor has requested their gift be spent on audio equipment to support the new fishing exhibit.  We thank our supporters for helping us provide the community with activities that we think will make a difference. We ask those that have not had a chance to donate to take a minute a send us a check or PayPal donation.

We have expanded the number of hours that the museum is open this year.  You can stop by
Saturdays 9am - 1pm
Sundays 1pm - 4pm
Wednesdays 9am- 1pm
 
Our volunteer organization continues to grow and we welcome anyone who would like to work a couple of hours for the museum.  There are numerous things that you could do for us.  If you like working outdoors- we have endless projects out at the farm.  A new volunteer recently explained he was good at maintenance and before long he was wiring the new electrical service in the pump house.  Others have asked if they could work on our hiking trail project- and the answer was yes!  We are currently looking for someone that has knowledge of computer and web cameras.  We have not given up on installing a web camera on the back of the museum building, looking at Morristown harbor- we just need help from someone that has the skills to do this.  We desperately need someone to help us catalog our artifacts.  If you have experience in fundraising- we need you!  If you know how to apply for a grant- we need you (and if you do not know how to apply for a grant- we will teach you)  The bottom line here is- we have a lot of fun and we think we provide a  great service to our community.  If you want to help- please call me on my cell phone at 614-205-8437

Dean Shelato
June 16, 2018

As the warm weather returns and flowers blossom with Spring-  the Gateway Museum springs to life preparing for another busy summer. 

Our Big Fish exhibit grand opening planned for June 30th is just around the corner and lots of work needs to be done.  10 very ambitious volunteers have painted the first floor of the building.  New carpeting covering the entire first floor of the building will be installed the week of May 14th.  THE HAND PAINTED MUSKIE SIGN AS ARRIVED!  New sign boards are being printed at the printers.  Our in-house display builder is busy in the shop preparing elaborate fixtures.  Our part time curator Hallie Bond is assembling the final pieces of artifacts to complete the exhibit.    Is our project manager nervous?  You better believe it !  Not to worry he says-   “We will be ready for the grand opening!”

After an incredibly long winter and cold spring our hiking trail project is back on track to open Memorial Day weekend.  The Morristown Highway department completed the new gravel parking lot installed along River Road East.  They intend to finish the 300 foot long boardwalk through the marshy area during the week of May 14th.  A boy Scout from Troup 9 in Heuvelton has agreed to complete his 100 hour Eagle Scout project at the Trail site by managing 30 scouts doing hiking trail improvements in June.  We will add new signage, bench seating, and possibly an observation tower in the next couple of months.  The Board of Trustees for the museum has approved the name “Morristown Red Barn Preserve “ as the official name for the Bogardus Farm Property.

We reported in our Blog last month that the Blue Herons were back.  Over 40 birds have been spotted in the Rookery at the back of the farm.  While it is difficult to see in these nests because of our commitment to remain 500 feet away- we think we have baby birds in the nests.  It is a beautiful sight to see the comings and goings of these beautiful birds.  Since there are so few Rookeries in the North Country- if you spot a blue heron in St Lawrence County- there is a good chance he/she lives in the nests at our Preserve.

Our Grant funding team has been working overtime to secure monies for the Museum Projects.  We have successfully received generous funding for the fishing exhibit from the Sweetgrass Foundation.  We have applied for three more grants and are awaiting approvals.  The first grant will fund an observation tower for the hiking trail:  the second grant will provide money to construct a second hiking trail at the farm as well as improvements to the Red Barn and the third grant will provide funds to install heating and cooling in the Museum building.

The annual drive to solicit funds from our museum supporters is underway.  The patron letter was mailed out last week.  Our generous donors contributed more than $5,000 in 2017.  As explained in the patron letter- the acquisition of the Bogardus Farm was a wonderful opportunity to provide the community with hiking trails and outdoor recreational activities but this acquisition also came with expenses such as heating, lighting, maintenance and landscape costs.  In addition to checks we are accepting donations by way of PayPal if that interests anyone. 

Please check our 2108 events calendar for updates and additions.  We just added Thomas E Brooking from the Sturgeons- For- Tomorrow non profit organization as a guest speaker for July 19th.  We think we will be adding another guest speaker for August 9th- please check our calendar regularly.

With the increased activities planned by the museum ( new Big Fish Exhibit, new hiking trail, guest speakers and concert series) the Museum has increased the number of days we will be open this summer.  Our new schedule is as follows:
Saturdays 9am 1pm
Sundays 1pm to 4pm
Wednesdays  9am – 1pm
 
We continue to seek volunteers to join the museum.  If you are interested in donating some time- we have many projects to do.  As we look at our ambitious agenda- we know we will be challenged to deliver on everything without more help.  Please reach out to a Board member if you have any interest in serving our community.

Dean Shelato
May 14, 2018

When the Gateway Museum took ownership of the Bogardus Farm last year- we discovered a Blue Heron Rookery with at least 60 nests located in trees along a large pond deep inside the 160 acre tract of land.  There was speculation about whether this Rookery was active or not.  If there were Blue Herons last year- they had left for the season when we started looking at the nests last July.  There is no longer any speculation- THE BLUE HERONS HAVE RETURNED!  We counted at least 40 birds on the nests late last month and there is reason to believe there are more.  A spectacular sight to see.  These giant creatures with 6 foot wingspans are beautiful and yet comical to watch as they fly in and out of the nesting area.  It is not easy for two of these birds to share a nest.  And amazingly enough they often tend to build the colony vertical.  Some of the tree sites appear to be 3 story apartment buildings with birds occupying each of the 3 floors of the tree.   For those of us used to seeing a single Blue Heron next to or in shallow water areas fishing by themselves- it is just incredible to watch 40 of these amazing birds nesting together in a relatively small area.  We will post pictures on this website in the next few days.

The Gateway Museum has worked closely with the Thousand Island Land Trust organization and others to develop a system of trails across the property that will enable hikers to see the Rookery from a safe distance that will not disrupt the birds.  Trail #1 is currently being built.  With help from the Town of Morristown highway department- a new parking area next to River Road East was built last fall.  When the weather warms up- the Highway department team will return and construct the 300 foot long boardwalk crossing through some of the marshy areas.  We hope the residents of Morristown and surrounding communities will take advantage of this outdoor experience and enjoy the extensive wildlife on the Bogardus Farm. The target date for opening the trail is May 26, 2018.

The Big Fish Exhibit continues to move ahead.   The museum is proud to feature an Exhibit that honors some of the local fisherman who made their living from fishing in the St Lawrence River.  Allan Bogardus was a well-known Morristown Sturgeon fisherman (and founding member of the Gateway Museum) .  Jim Evans was a successful Muskie guide and long time resident of Morristown.  The museum is very fortunate to have acquired excellent artifacts including Allan’s unique sturgeon fishing boat, boat motor, fishing nets and numerous stories and pictures of his catches.  Jim Evans’ family has provided outstanding pieces including Muskie mounts from his successful fishing trips. 

The museum is grateful to the Sweetgrass Foundation as well as donations from members of the Museum board for providing the money to make this Exhibit possible.

We are currently reaching out to have guest speakers lined up to provide talks about Sturgeon and Muskie populations in the St Lawrence River.  Please mark your calendars – the exhibit is expected to open on June 30th.

The summer concert series schedule is set.  The Shoes- Rock and Roll Dance Party kicks off the summer schedule on Saturday July 7th.  Dust off those dancing moves and join us for what will certainly be a memorable event.  The rest of the calendar can be seen on the “2018 Events” Tab on the home page of this website.

Members of our Board of Trustees have been active preparing Grant applications to seek funding for improvements at the Bogardus Farm Property.  If we are successful these Grants will fund a second hiking trail and improvements to the Red Barn.  We are also hoping to find a Grant assistance to fund building improvements at our Main Street Building.  We currently have no way to heat the building.  Other opportunities include new lighting, paint, and window air conditioners for the second floor.

We welcomed two new Trustees to the Board this month- Melanie Connor and Ellen Magee Copeman.  These two talented women bring strong business backgrounds to the team and we look forward to their participation in Museum activities in the future.

We continue to seek volunteers to join the museum.  If you are interested in donating some time- we have many projects to do.  As we look at our ambitious agenda – we know we will be challenged to deliver on everything without more help.  Please reach out to a Board member if you have any interest in serving our community.
 
Dean Shelato
4/15/18

Recently Hallie Bond- former curator for the Adirondack Museum and now consultant and project manager for the Big Fish Exhibit has presented the Board of Trustees a layout of the exhibit.  A designer has been hired to take the layout and convert it into museum pieces that can be displayed according to the plan.  On Saturday March 3rd – Museum Trustees and volunteers gathered at our location on Main Street to clear the first floor exhibit area of older collections of artifacts.  An ambitious team was dispatched to the basement to clear and build a storage area that would enable some of the valuable older collections to go into storage.   With less than 4 months to go before our opening the project team members are both excited and a bit nervous considering all that remains to be done. 

Our Bogardus Farm property and hiking trails project continues to hibernate as winter hangs on in the North Country.  The Town of Morristown Highway Department is ready to move forward with the construction of a boardwalk across marshy areas along the trail and the parking lot along River Road East- as soon as the weather breaks.

The Museum Board of Trustees has authorized several members to go ahead with a Grant Application to seek funding for a second hiking trail and improvements to the Red Barn at the Bogardus Farm.  The 100 year old barn could use some interior renovations and foundation repairs to make it suitable for future activities.  If the Grant is approved the work for this Phase 2 project could start later this year and be completed by mid 2019.

Last month we published a preliminary schedule for the Summer Concert Series.  Be sure to check the “2018 Events”  Tab on the Home Page of this website to see the latest schedule of events.
I am sad to report that the web camera set up to view Morristown Harbor has failed due to technical issues.  We hope to attack this project again later this year and we will be successful!

We are always looking for volunteers.  If you have some time and want to hang around some fun people –please reach out to a board member and offer your services.  We have lots to do and would welcome your help.
 
Dean Shelato
March 8, 2018