From Augusta Georgia – After an extensive search, Thursday last, The Lunney House Museum acquired a fine new bookcase which is the latest addition to the museum’s collection of period furniture. The piece will be added to the Lunney House library to house vintage volumes of the museum’s antique book collection.
Empire Revival Bookcase c.1917
In conjunction with Phase I of A Restoration Project – The New South – “Renewal & Continuance” at the Lunney House Museum, Harold and Westan Payne of River Bend Construction Company began work on front porch restorations this week.
They specialize in residential construction and restoration work and have more than 10 years of experience working on homes throughout the Carolinas and Florida.
They will be repairing years of damage and removing decades of old paint in preparation for a brand-new restored façade.
The Oconee County Museum Association (OCMA), which serves as a stewardship organization for the Lunney House Museum, welcomed four new board members this week.
After decades of relying on print ads and word of mouth promotion, the Lunney House Museum is advancing into the digital information age by establishing an online presence on the following sites:
Lunney House Museum website:
http://www.facebook.com/LunneyHouseMuseum
Lunney House Museum Blog
https://lunneyhousemuseum.wordpress.com/
Twitter
https://twitter.com/LunneyMuseum
Please visit any of the above sites for more information about the Lunney House Museum.
This week, Dr. John Martin, House Museum Manager, and Tom Kinnard of Kinnardesign, collaborated on the creation of the upcoming Lunney permanent exhibit, “Life Journey of the Lunneys”.
The Lunney House sun porch will house the new collection which will exhibit items reflecting the “Life Journey” of Dr. William J. & Lilian Mason Lunney, including historical documents and photographs featuring their contributions to the Seneca community, including local businesses, civic organizations, and the Seneca Baptist Church.
The exhibit’s designer, Mr. Kinnard, brings to the project more than 25 years of museum exhibit design experience, and has designed exhibits for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC and the McKissick Museum in Columbia, SC.
Recently, the Lunney House Museum staff evaluated pieces from the current collection for inclusion in the musuems permanent collection. In order to qualify the piece had to be either relevant to the Lunneys or their immediate family, or relevant to the period in which the house was constructed in the early twentieth centruy.
During this process, the staff has picked a few favorite pieces that will be treasures of the permanent collection. One of the largest and grandest pieces is the 1866 experimental “cocked-hat” parlor grand piano by Chickering & Sons. Mrs. Lunney loved music and music lessons were taught to cultured young ladies at Mrs. Lunney’s home.
Some other worthy items include a costumer from the Gustav Stickley Mission Collection, two family bibles with valuable genealogical information, and an 1840’s decorated stoneware platter from the home of Lilian’s father, Col. George Mason.
In association with the History Department of Clemson University, Regina Mize recently joined the restoration staff at the Lunney House Museum. She is currently evaluating the museum’s historic book and document collection for applicable historical content that speaks to the life journey of Dr. William J. and Mrs. Lilian Mason Lunney. These items will be prepared for display in the museum’s permanent exhibit.
Betty Arnold, Detty Piper and Laura Cowsar at Lunney House LuncheonSeneca residents, Betty Arnold and Detty Piper were invited to
the museum for an intimate luncheon to take a stroll down memory lane. Over lunch the ladies reminisced fondly of childhood days spent at the Lunney House with Mrs. Lunney, as they shared their recollections and experiences with Dr. John Martin, House Museum Manager.
Some of the things they remembered…
Mebers of the Lunney House restoration team recently stripped away multiple layers of cerulean blue paint in the Arts & Crafts style dining room to reveal the natural beauty of the underlying slow-growth, long-leaf pine framework.
The Lunney House Restoration Team Hard at Work
The wainscot wall treatment reaches 72-inches high and is crowned with a 5-inch plate rail. The wood will be stained highlighting the original woodwork and the original forest green burlap inserts will be replaced.
The fireplace is laid in English tile and is framed with quarter sawn oak and the mantel and wainscot above the fireplace has also been stripped and is being restored to its natural finish as well.
Lunney House Museum 
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