Historical buildings damaged at Runestone Museum

Add the Runestone Museum to the list of places that did not come through the winter unscathed.

Of the nine historical buildings on its fort site off of Broadway between Second and Third avenues in downtown Alexandria, at least three sustained water damage due to leaks and three others incurred exterior log damage, said the museum's executive director, Amanda Seim.

"This winter was tough," she said, adding that snow drifts between some buildings were so high as to necessitate snowshoes to venture around.

Seim had not had an opportunity as of last Friday to inspect all of the buildings, and she said that until recently a few weren't even accessible.

Most of the damage was caused by snow and water. Seim discovered leaks in the log cabin, the general store and the stagecoach stop. In addition, the large agricultural building where the 40-foot replica Viking trading ship is housed also had water damage.

The worst of the buildings with log damage appears to be the blacksmith shop.

"The only building I'm really nervous about is the blacksmith shop," Seim said.

There are a couple of reasons for that. The hand-hewn timber used in constructing the building appears to have sustained the most damage of any of the buildings in the fort area, with visible damage on at least two sides of the building, and she wasn't sure if they can salvage the logs.

The other factor is that it is the only one of the historical buildings, which were all originally built between 1860-1910, that is not elevated and sitting on a concrete slab. The blacksmith shop sits directly on the ground, an issue that Seim would like to rectify.

The replica Viking trading ship was not damaged. The building where it is kept had a roof collapse in 1996, which was another severe winter. But unlike dozens of other Douglas County structures, the roof held up this winter, with the exception of leaks.

"Thankfully, no roofs collapsed. Unfortunately, most of the snow was either on the roofs or around the foundations of the buildings, which is where most of the damage is located," Seim said, noting that roofs and foundations can be costly to repair.

Repair costs can vary greatly, depending on several factors, including if an entire log requires replacement, or if those that were damaged are part of the foundation or are load-bearing logs.

Each building will have to be evaluated separately, Seim said, and no estimate is yet available on the costs to repair roof, log and window damage, or if insurance will cover a portion of the repairs. If that is not the case, any repairs will rely on contributions from volunteers and donations.

Already on the April schedule is an Easter Bake Sale, with proceeds designated to help fund repairs for the damage done to the outdoor buildings. The bake sale will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Good Friday, April 19, at the museum.