Polk County Historical Society to make repairs at Hawkes Library in Cedartown, will be open by appointment
The home of the Polk County Historical Society in Cedartown is getting much needed exterior repairs starting this week in a project that is expected to last more than a month.
The Hawkes Library - built in 1921 - will be open this week as the project begins, but will shut down and be open by appointment-only for the four weeks following.
PCHS President Ellen Hester said that repairs to the building's slate roof, built-in gutters and dentil trim work at the corners is needed after a number of leaks and damage was found along the Hawkes Library's exterior.
She said the Hawkes Library - built in 1921 - is nearly a century old and that the repairs are needed to keep the building looking as it did when it first served as Cedartown's library.
"When we started the Polk County Historical Society in the 1970s, our goal was to save the library," she said. "We re- main committed to that goal today and in the future."
The renovations are just part of the library's overall plans. In the future, they also plan to take over the old Southcrest Bank location bought by the city when renovations are completed. The idea is to house the display portion of the Polk County Historical Society's museum in the old bank building on West Avenue next door to the U.S. Post Office, and keep the Hawkes Library for a variety of purposes, Hester said.
The city purchased the property and other surrounding parking lots from Southcrest Bank at the end of 2016.
For now though, all the displays remain in place at the library, and work will force a temporary shutdown since Hester said that access into the museum might be blocked by the construction work.
The museum will remain open this week on the regular schedule from Wednesday from 1:30 until 4 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. After Aug. 18, the museum will be open by appointment for the next 4 weeks. For an appointment, please call 770 8627627 or 770 748-7488.
Funds for the current work come from the dues and donations of members of PCHS, a grant from The Trippe Foundation, and other donations. Additional funds are needed to move to the next phase of planned renewal and upgrade of the building and the preservation of information on the rich history of Polk County.
Those interested in making a donation to help with work at the Polk County Historical Society can do so by mailing checks to PCHS, P.O. Box 203, Cedartown, Ga., 30125 or stop in at the museum.