Lodi Historical Museum Update

We are more than pleased to report that the paint removal process on the exterior of the Lodi Historical Museum has begun!! Months ago, we had almost given up on exposing the original brick behind almost 100 years of white paint, which was put on the building sometime in the 1930’s. Project manager Scott Hamilton and his brother Robert, with equipment on generous loan from Bill Deemer, spent a few grueling days blasting paint off the exterior, revealing a lovely view of what the museum will look like in the near future as we get closer to wrapping up construction.

With the help of our favorite expert carpenter, Brad Davis, we built a new patio cover and extended the roof over the break room. The back of the building also has a small concrete patio, now with shade! Our friend Jeff Henderson (who is aways up for any dirty job), helped pressure-wash the exposed beams to remove all the old plaster & dirt. We also began repairs to the exposed drill tower rebar to prepare for patching the concrete. Brad Davis came back to build a brand new staircase and our friendly neighborhood Lodi Firefighters helped widen the breakroom doorway by cutting through several inches of concrete.

At the end of June, the Firehouse Project received a big bump in our fundraising efforts to finish the building from the Lodi Community Foundation, who contributed $25,000 toward our goal of $100,000. This brings us to approximately $41,250 raised of our finishing goal so far! We are completely humbled by the community’s support of this project and are looking forward to sharing this wonderful local asset with history lovers and museum-goers for a long time. Save the Date for October 18th for our very first Museum Open House and see Lodi’s historic Firehouse & City Hall with your own eyes!

As for the exhibits themselves, we are in the early stages of preserving our collections, sourcing artifacts, and crafting a museum experience that will serve all ages with education, passion for preservation, and fun! Our community has long needed a dedicated place where our history can live and grow. The Lodi Historical Society is honored to be among the many stewards that keep our stories alive. If you’d like to contribute to our collection of stories, click here to fill out our Community History Survey!

Join the Lodi Historical Society and support our efforts to preserve, protect, and share Lodi’s rich history at lodihistoricalsociety.org.