> Anonymous Donor Helps Vintage Radio Museum
Anonymous Donor Helps Vintage Radio Museum
| Members of The Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut are celebrating the generosity of an individual who has graciously donated $40,000 to the museum to help it repay debt. The donation comes as the museum plans to reopen this summer for the first time in over seven years. "We are just stunned by this act of support," says museum director John Ellsworth. "This donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, has a long-standing interest in the history of communications and wants to support our museum's mission to teach others about that history by retiring our debt. This donation will be used to repay the Town of Windsor for back taxes and for a loan that was given to us to help us secure a permanent building for our museum. These funds will let us concentrate on getting our doors reopened in August and becoming a tourist destination for the New England region." The museum was last opened in East Hartford in 2000, but moved to Windsor after the State of Connecticut took its old location by eminent domain to widen I-84. Since that time the museum has acquired a 20,000 square foot building at 115 Pierson Lane in Windsor and volunteers have been hard at work restoring the building for public use. The Town of Windsor extended the museum at $35,000 loan that helped them pay insurance and other expenses while the group worked to ready its new location. A $100,000 state grant paid for major building upgrades at Pierson Lane allowing the museum to plan for an August opening and a Grand Opening taking place in September. "I know many of us in town are looking forward to the museum finally opening," says Windsor Town Manager Peter Souza. "It's been a long road for the museum since moving out of East Hartford, but this donation repays the taxpayers of Windsor and sets the museum on the right footing for future success once they open. I know they'll be a great asset to our state and will give people yet another reason to visit Connecticut's oldest town." "It always amazes me how our museum has always been able to survive difficult times. The simple fact that we have not been open to the public for more than seven years, but have continued to have dedicated volunteers and funds to keep our heads above water is just astonishing," says Ellsworth. "All of our dedicated volunteers, Board of Directors members, and supporters want to sincerely thank this donor for his significant contribution." The Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut, located at 115 Pierson Lane in Windsor, is dedicated to the preservation of old time communications equipment and to educating the public. The museum displays radios, televisions, motion picture and telephone equipment, as well as vintage advertising and memorabilia. Audio, video and paper libraries, along with an extensive collection of schematics, are also available for research. The museum will re-open in its new location in Summer 2007. For more information, visit their website at www.vrcmct.org. |
Add Event
Events
Tickborne Illness Support Group
Jan 11, 2025 at LP Wilson Community Center, 599 Matianuck Ave. Windsor
Jan 11, 2025 at LP Wilson Community Center, 599 Matianuck Ave. Windsor