EASTON [Pennsylvania] Strolling through the space that will display artifacts from the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society‘s voluminous collection, Marlowe Sigal marveled at the county’s history.
“I wasn’t aware growing up here and living in the area for 20 years how rich the history really was of Northampton County,” he said.
Sigal also marveled at what’s become of the building that once housed his family’s longtime business, Sigal’s Bridal Gallery.
“This is exactly what it means to be a professional-level museum,” he said.
The historical society Wednesday marked the opening of its new headquarters, the Sigal Museum, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and public tour of what city officials hope becomes part of a growing tourism industry.
“This has been a longtime project and a labor of love for many people that’s finally come to fruition,” board of directors President Andy Daub told the crowd that filled the sidewalk in the 300 block of Northampton Street.
Visitors toured what is only a smattering of the society’s collection. The museum’s curator estimates about 400 pieces of the society’s roughly 60,000 items are on display, Daub said.
But amid the hope and optimism of opening festivities are the challenges facing the historical society, including fundraising efforts for the $7.5 million project that remain about $500,000 short of its goal and the absence of a permanent executive director.
Read the full article in the August 12, 2010 edition of Lehigh Valley Live.
