Archives > News Update
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
Historic farmstead receives renovations
By Kim Nguyen, knguyen@acnpapers.com
One of the historic buildings on the property of Plano’s Heritage Farmstead Museum got a free makeover on Thursday.
The History House – one of several buildings within the 118-year-old historic farm complex – underwent a total renovation as part of a National Day of Service for the Mr. Handyman corporation. Four Dallas-area Mr. Handyman franchises donated their services and skills for the entire day to give the property $4,000 worth of renovation and preservation. A four-person team helped fix rotting porch boards, chipped paint, broken gutters and cracked eaves, which was originally a smokehouse and was donated to the farmstead from a different historic property in Plano.
As the farmstead is an integral part of Plano ISD’s third-grade curriculum, Mr. Handyman’s service project will benefit the students directly. The farmstead is visited each fall by thousands of third graders hoping to get a peek of how life was at the turn of the century. Once renovated and preserved, the History House will provide visiting children the opportunity to interact with some household items from the turn of the century, such as a spinning wheel, hand-powered sewing machine and wrought iron stove, said Kathy Strobel, director of education for the farmstead.
Though the focus of the Mr. Handyman National Day of Service at the Heritage Farmstead was the History House, all of the buildings on the 4.5-acre historic farm complex are in need of repair. The historical farmstead has been falling deeper into a state of disrepair as museum officials are finding donations decline significantly in the poor economy.
“When we heard about the badly needed repairs and maintenance the Heritage Farmstead required we knew it was a perfect opportunity to donate our services and help spread the word about the importance of volunteerism in our communities,” said Kathleen Morrow, owner of the Mr. Handyman franchise that serves Rockwall, Rowlett and southeast Collin County. “We are always looking for ways to give back to our local community, and it’s truly empowering to be a part of this nationwide effort dedicated to helping those in need.”
Mr. Handyman, the No. 1 employer of handymen in the nation, has rallied its franchise locations across the country to participate in the National Day of Service where Mr. Handyman employees and technicians will aid those in need of housing repair or renovation. More than 300 U.S. and Canadian franchise locations will rally around the cause and donate their skilled technicians’ time to a local charity of choice. Mr. Handyman locations around the country will donate 1,000 man hours to commemorate Sept. 11.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: News Update «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
