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Jan. 29, 2018
Contact: Laurie Perkins, 517-241-0731
Window restoration will lead to new exhibits at Walker Tavern Historic Site
 Travelers along M-50 and U.S. 12 in Lenawee County may do a double-take this winter when they see plywood panels covering the windows at Walker Tavern Historic Site in Brooklyn. The former inn operated by Sylvester Walker in the 1840s and operated as a museum by the Michigan History Center since 1966 is not shutting down. Instead, the boarded-up windows represent another step toward the historic site's restoration and renewed historical interpretation.
Twenty windows – some approaching 50 years old – are slated for restoration over the next few months during the historic site's off season. The windows will be hand-constructed by Tim Bowman of Jonesville, owner of Historic Restoration, LLC. Bowman anticipates that the majority of the project will be completed by the scheduled opening of the tavern over the Memorial Day weekend.
"Restoring the windows on the tavern has been a long-awaited project and is another step in our plans for site and interpretation improvements," said Michigan History Center historian Laurie Perkins. "The window replacement will be followed by interior plaster work and exterior painting, so that in 2019, we can install the tavern's first new exhibits in more than 25 years."
Exhibit plans call for telling the stories of life in and around the tavern by featuring artifacts found during archaeological surveys of Cambridge Junction Historic State Park, where Walker Tavern Historic Site is located.
Funding for the window project comes from grants provided by the Recreation Passport program. Since 2012, Recreation Passport funds have returned more than $100,000 to the local community for cultural and recreational projects, including a new roof on the Hewitt House Visitor Center and other amenities at Cambridge Junction Historic State Park.
Walker Tavern Historic Site is a nationally accredited museum located at the junction of U.S. 12 and M-50, 35 miles west of Ann Arbor, in Cambridge Junction Historic State Park. A Recreation Passport is required for park entry. Walker Tavern Historic Site is part of the Michigan History Museum System and the MotorCities National Heritage Area. For more information, call 517-241-0731 or visit www.michigan.gov/walkertavern.
The Michigan History Center is part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Its museum and archival programs foster curiosity, enjoyment, and inspiration rooted in Michigan’s stories. It includes the Michigan History Museum, 10 regional museums, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve, and the Archives of Michigan. Learn more at www.michigan.gov/mhc.
/Note to editors: An accompanying photo is available below for download. A suggested caption follows.
Although boarded-up windows give Walker Tavern a rather desolate look this winter, the plywood panels are a sign of ongoing work to restore the 1840s building and improve its museum exhibits./
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.
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