Iron County Historical Museum getting renovations

By ZACHARY MARANO

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HURLEY, Wis. - Construction crews started renovations on the Iron County Historical Museum in Hurley on Monday. They will replace the roof of the building and close the arches in the clock tower.

Jeff Musselman, a volunteer with the Iron County Historical Society, said that renovations were on the books for four or five years. The museum was worried that they would be unable to pay the price for the renovations, but they were made possible by a generous gift from an anonymous donor in late 2020.

"We got an anonymous gift that paid for most of the new roof," Musselman said. "It looked like it would be a few years more before we were able to afford it. A donor asked us how much we need and gave us $125,000. It cost $135,000, but they gave us what we thought it was worth."

The remaining costs for renovating the roof and clock tower will be paid by the historical society's savings.

Musselman said the historical society did not know when the most recent layer of shingles was put on the roof, and they were worried about leaks.

He said the old shingles will be replaced with Decra metal shingles guaranteed to last 60 years.

The clock tower is also being renovated by the same roofing contractor. There are eight arch-shaped openings in the tower, which the roofer recommended closing so the historical society will not have to worry about rain and snow getting in the tower.

"It will look like louvered openings," he said.

Musselman said that people should still be able to hear the bell ringing after the arches are closed by the contractor.

He said that the renovations will be completed in two to three weeks, depending on the weather.

According to the Hurley Area Chamber of Commerce website, the former Iron County Courthouse was built in 1893 as a town hall and acquired by the Iron County Historical Society in 1976.