Jamestown – Jamestown Community Foundation recently awarded a $2,000 grant to the Stutsman County Memorial Museum to assist with the restoration of the mural located in the main dining room of the museum.  The local museum has been working with the Midwest Art Conservation Center to fully restore an 80 sq. ft. mural that goes all around the top of the walls in the original mansion dining area.  They are also restoring a portrait of George Lutz, the builder of the beautiful home, and the first occupant, along with his family.  The Lutz family was from Germany, and the Black Forest mural reminded them daily of their homeland.  Over the years, the mural has become dark and hard to see.  The restoration will include cleaning, restoration and protection using conservation’s best practices.  

The Stutsman County Memorial Museum serves Jamestown and the entire county, housing historical artifacts and documents.  It is the perfect place for families to visit in the summer months, and is of interest not only to adults, but to young people, many of whom have never seen some of the items on display.  It is also a wonderful place to go to do research on old county history. The Museum is dedicated to preserving our heritage.  They are open daily throughout the summer, offering tours and archival research.  They house and care for hundreds of thousands of objects, textiles and archives and they are one of ths historical highlights available to the public in Jamestown.  They are located at 321 Historic 3rd Ave SE in Jamestown.  Donations are always welcome, sent to P.O. Box 1002 in Jamestown.

The Jamestown Community Foundation can be reached for information about its organization or grant applications/guidelines by visiting www.ndcf.net and selecting Learn, then choose the Jamestown Community Foundation page.  People may also contact Barb Lang at 701-320-4570.  Donations to the Foundation can be mailed to the JCF at P.O. Box 2004, Jamestown, ND 58402.

Supplied Photo: Front row, left-right:  Emily Bivins, Director, Jamestown Chamber/Tourism; Allison Limke, Tourism manager; Paulette Ritter and Shirley Jackson, Community Foundation board members.  Back row, left-right:  Alden Kollman and Mike Rudy, Museum board members and Kirk Heim, Community Foundation board member.