The Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation Two Rivers Giving Circle Fund and the Historic Shepherdstown Commission each awarded $1,000 grants to Shepherd University to help restore historic windows in the Entler-Weltzheimer House on High Street and fund a “Windows Workshop” by the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia (PAWV). The two-day event, which was held on the campus of Shepherd University Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6, was well attended as 35 men and women participated in the “hands-on” educational effort.
Directed by Lynn Stasick, PAWV Statewide Field Services Representative, with assistance from AmeriCorps volunteer Rodney Bohner, Shepherd University Historic Preservation Coordinator Keith Alexander, and Allegheny Restoration’s Derrick Smith, the workshop introduced attendees to new techniques to safely remove historic glass, strip lead paint from the sashes, restore rotten wood, and install weatherstripping. After the workshop Stasick was thrilled when one of the women who attended told him she had been planning on replacing all of her old windows, but will now restore the historic sashes instead. “When we convince someone to restore rather than replace, we feel that a workshop like this has been a great success.” stated Stasick, who demonstrated the latest technology, including two of his own inventions – specialized steam devices for removing glass panes and stripping lead paint from historic sashes and moulding.
Members of the Two Rivers Giving Circle Fund each contribute a minimum of $500 annually to help underwrite grants and build endowment to support preservation and conservation efforts. Grant applications are accepted in the summer, reviewed in October, and awards are announced in late Fall. Additionally, the Two Rivers Giving Circle members annually honor a leader in the field of preservation or conservation during their annual picnic in late summer. For more information about the Two Rivers Giving Circle contact coordinators Wayne Braunstein at [email protected] or Dannie Wall at [email protected] or call the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation office at 304-264-0353,