Lewiston Museum reopens to public

The Historical Association of Lewiston announced plans to reopen the Lewiston Museum, which has been closed due to COVID-19 restrictions.

HAL said the Lewiston Museum has been deep cleaned and adjusted to present a safe and educational outing for families and individuals interested in the unique and vast local history of the “Most Historic Square Mile” in the United States.

Volunteers have been arranged and trained in new methods of operations and, “We look forward to opening our doors, although on a limited schedule for the month of July.”

The venue is open to the public from 1-5 p.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, beginning this weekend.

New operating parameters include:

•A limit of 10 visitors at a time unless the prearranged group is a family or established trusted circle. Special tours may be arranged by contacting HAL Executive Director Patti Mahoney at 716-754-4214 most afternoons. If there is no answer, leave a detailed message.

•All visitors will be required to wear masks while on the tour and maintain social distancing in all aspects during the tour.

•All items available from the store will be available, although the store will be off limits to visitors. Items will be on display in the main hall. The volunteer on duty will supply whatever the visitor wishes to obtain. Credit or debit cards are preferred for both security and cleanliness issues.

•In addition, HAL President Ken Slaugenhoupt will resume outdoor historic tours of the original “Lower Landing” within Artpark in July. These tours cover 12,000 years of history and especially focus on the influx of Europeans into the New World through this “Gateway to the West.” The tour occurs outdoors and includes moderate hiking through the woods and hills to see the various important sites. Groups will be limited to 15 and all are asked to have masks and practice social distancing as visitors move through the various sites.

A donation to the Lewiston Museum of $10 per adult, or $5 for children and teens ages 10-16, is gratefully requested. In case of inclement weather, the tour will be immediately rescheduled and participants notified.

The first tour will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday. Reserve a place in one of these tours by sending an email request directly to Ken at [email protected]. It is first come, first-served.

HAL stated, “The pandemic has had significant financial impact on this fine cultural facility and we strive to keep our collections and records safe and secure and available to everyone.

“Membership to HAL is open to everyone and details may be learned by calling Patti Mahoney.”

The Lewiston Museum is located at 469 Plain St.