MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — Just in time for Black History Month, work has begun on the African American Museum of Bucks County.
The organization posted that renovations for the museum's future home at the Boone Farm in Middletown Township have started, a few months after a groundbreaking ceremony with the Bucks County Commissioners.
"The work has begun on the property," said Patricia Mervine, who recently wrote a book about Boone Farm. "The museum is embarking on a major capital fundraising campaign."
Construction is estimated to take about 12 months.
Linda Salley, the museum's president and executive director, is leading those fundraising efforts for the museum dedicated to Bucks County's African American history.
"We need your help. We can’t do this alone," the organization stated in a Facebook post. "Go to our website and donate."
Established in 2014, the museum has existed solely as a “mobile museum,” displaying exhibits and artifacts at schools, libraries, senior centers, and other locations throughout Bucks County.
In recent months, the project to renovate the existing farmhouse —located at the southwest corner of Core Creek Park at 867 Newtown-Langhorne Road —progressed when county commissioners approved a $2.39 million contract with L.J. Paolella Construction, Inc., for restoration work and a separate $201,000 contract with Hirschberg Mechanical to perform plumbing and fire protection work at the site.
Funding for the project has also come from Bucks County in addition to substantial contributions from Parx Casino and Sesame Place.