MUSEUM NEWS

GoFundMe Page Launched to Assist with Museum Restoration and Repair

Green Turtle Cay property owners and museum supporters Matthew and Shannon Matlack have graciously launched a GoFundMe page to help raise the estimated $100,000-$200,000 needed to repair damage to the Albert Lowe Museum as a result of Hurricane Dorian on 1 September, 2019.

Albert Lowe Museum, October 2019

Though the museum building withstood Dorian’s wrath, the storm punctured several large holes in our practically new, cedar-shingled roof, took half of the kitchen building’s roof (also new), and virtually all the picket fencing. The eastern and western porches on the main building were severely damaged.

Albert Lowe Museum Kitchen Building, October 2019

At the height of the hurricane, the second-floor western shutters blew out, breaking several windows and allowing more water into the building.

The museum’s second-floor, western bedroom sustained wind and water damage when the shutter and window were blown out by Hurricane Dorian. Here, you can see one of the holes punctured in the roof by flying debris, and the mold forming on the historic wallpaper, which had to be removed.

As a result of the water intrusion, many of the old, wooden floorboards are warped and need replacing. As does the historic wallpaper, which we had to remove in the days following Dorian to prevent the spread of mold.

Several of the building’s original, hand-made wooden windows will need to be remade. Lighting fixtures, including the beautiful downstairs chandeliers, which were filled with water, will need replacing. The electrical and plumbing systems need repair.

And the list goes on…

Thanks to Mat and Shannon for their support – and thanks in advance for contributing what you can to the GoFundMe page they’ve established.

We look forward to making the necessary repairs and getting the Albert Lowe Museum reopened once again!

Mat and Shannon Matlack

Albert Lowe Museum Hosts Bahamian Authors Amanda Diedrick and Wayne Neely

This coming weekend, the Albert Lowe Museum is pleased to host appearances and book signings by two well-known Bahamian authors – Amanda Diedrick and Wayne Neely.

Mr. Neely will appear at the Museum on Friday, May 4 from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm and Ms. Diedrick will appear on Saturday, May 5 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

We hope you’ll drop by to meet and visit with our guest authors, get to know our terrific new tour guide, Esther Bethel, and experience the oldest historic museum in the Bahamas.

ABOUT WAYNE NEELY
Wayne Neely is an international speaker, best-selling author, lecturer on hurricanes, educator and certified meteorologist. He is the author of a series of books related to hurricanes and their impact on all aspects of mankind’s ever-expanding society.

His tenth and latest book, The Greatest and Deadliest Hurricanes of the Caribbean and the Americas-The Stories behind the Great Storms of the North Atlantic, is a best-seller internationally. His eleventh book, The Greatest and Deadliest Hurricanes to Impact The Bahamas – The Stories Behind the great Hurricanes to Impact the Islands of The Bahamas(1500-2017) is due to be released in June 2018.

Wayne has also written a number of articles and documentaries on hurricanes and other severe weather events for major local and international newspapers and magazines including the New York Times, as well as NOVA, PBS and National Geographic.

ABOUT AMANDA DIEDRICK
Amanda Diedrick is the author of Those Who Stayed: The Tale of the Hardy Few Who Built Green Turtle Cay. A writer for nearly three decades, her work has appeared in Canadian, American and Bahamian publications, the latter including Abaco Life, the Abaconian and the Nassau Tribune.

Amanda has written extensively about various aspects of Bahamian life, including the troubling plight of the Bahamian Queen Conch, challenges faced by Bahamian families with disabled children, the Bahamas Special Olympics organization, the Bahamas DNA Project, genealogical research for Bahamians, and traditional island cuisine and culture.

A ninth-generation Bahamian who counts Loyalist Wyannie Malone and pirate Matthew Lowe among her ancestors, Amanda serves as Historian and Special Events Coordinator for the Albert Lowe Museum as well as Membership Administrator for the online Bahamas Genealogy Group.

Amanda Diedrick and Wayne Neely will also be presenting at this weekend’s Island Roots  Heritage Festival. For full details, visit IRHF 2018 Speaker Series

Albert Lowe Museum Celebrates its 40th Anniversary

Hard to believe, but it’s been four decades since Sir Clement Maynard, then Minister of Tourism, cut the ribbon and opened Green Turtle Cay’s Albert Lowe Museum.

Sir Clement Maynard cuts the ribbon formally opening Green Turtle Cay's Albert Lowe Museum.
Sir Clement Maynard cuts the ribbon formally opening Green Turtle Cay’s Albert Lowe Museum.

We’ve got lots planned to celebrate our 40th anniversary, including:

  • Launching this website, to keep you up to date on what’s happening with us, and to allow those of you who’ve asked about online donations a way to help us even when you’re not on the cay.
  • Holding a fundraising cocktail reception on November 25 featuring a concert by Ronnie Butler Jr., a special showing of the museum’s Abaco Reflections photo exhibit, and the launch of a new coffee table book about Green Turtle Cay’s history entitled Those Who Stayed.

The fundraiser takes place on the same weekend as the Festival of Lights will illuminate New Plymouth for the holiday season. It’ll be a fun weekend on the cay, and we hope to see you here!

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