Almost There!

Wanna know why these two guys are smiling?

This is SRAC's Dick Cowles (right) and his son Kurt who have planned for the past year for what finally took place today...

As some of you know, the Corning Painted Post Museum had donated several display cases to SRAC about a year ago, and while we already have around 20 of the cases, we still had about a dozen left to get...Once the nice weather got here, it was time to move....literally...

WAAYYY before I was out of bed this morning, 14 people rallied together at the Erwin Museum in Painted Post, NY, and began loading cases out a windows because they were just too big to get out the door....


Oh - did I mention it was the THIRD STORY WINDOW???



The forklift was refitted by Kurt Cowles with an extension he welded himself to be able to reach into the building window and to hold ten foot long cases....

The forklift then placed each case into the trucks for a long trip down the highway to Waverly, NY....(thank GAWD the rain held off!)


Once they arrived at Waverly the cases were loaded into our museum area where they will be put back together, cleaned and oiled and finally loaded with our local artifacts!

If you notice the space there in the floor in the picture above...it will be filled with 14 of the slant top cases (shown below) down the middle of the floor. This will make it on huge rectangular walkway around the cases...

SRAC would like to again thank the Corning Painted Post Museum for such a wonderful and generous donation to SRAC....What a wonderful gift you have given to SRAC and our future generations.

Also - A HUGE thank you to the Cowles family for planning and financing the whole move that occurred today!

Incredible as it sounds, some of these cases as I understand it actually originated in Waverly, NY!!! Yep...Ellsworth Cowles was the person who took them to the Irwin Museum and even orchestrated the same move INTO the museum as his son and grandson orchestrated to get the cases back out!

Finally, thank you to ALL of the folks who helped today to get the cases into SRAC without a scratch....I cannot believe what a feat you accomplished, and SRAC is indebted to all of you for the work you have done for generations to share our local heritage!