Front Porch Restoration Begins

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.

New OCMA Boardmembers Welcomed

The Oconee County Museum Association (OCMA), which serves as a stewardship organization for the Lunney House Museum, welcomed four new board members this week.

• Diana L Augustine, Marketing & Advertising Director, The Journal
• Tom Kinnard, Independent Museum Exhibition Design Consultant
• Regina Mize, owner of Creative Heritage Services, Professional Genealogist, Family Historian, & Historical Researcher.
• K. Scott Touissant, Attorney & Owner of  Touissant Law Firm, PC; Staff Judge Advocate – SC Army National Guard.

Digital Information Age Comes to the Lunney House Museum

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:

www.LunneyHouseMuseum.org 

 

Facebook

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. 

“Life Journey of the Lunneys” Permanent Exhibit

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 William J. & Lilian Mason Lunney, including historical documents and photographs featuring their contributions to the Seneca community, including local businesses, civic organizations, and the Seneca Baptist Church.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.

Step Into My Parlor…

A Treasured Past

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.