On Tuesday, I stopped in at the County Commission meeting to ask them to solve a problem at Chinsegut Hill. The Manor House A/C had been out for over six weeks and temperatures inside the museum were dangerously high.

The Commissioners and County Administrator Jeff Rogers quickly approved emergency action on getting portable A/C units installed, protecting important artifacts and treasures from further heat damage. Wonderful news.

I went to Chinsegut Thursday after the big storm to see the portable units nicely installed and working beautifully. Also had a lovely look at butterflies enjoying the firebush!

Then I saw the destruction to the Sunrise Oak caused by the storm and its high winds.

I notified County Administrator Rogers and asked permission to solicit donations from tree removal professionals followed by a volunteer workday the next day. He agreed and within hours, Liberty Tree Care had volunteered to bring a crew the next day. Liberty’s owner, Chris Jernigan, is a descendent of politician Mallory Snow, grandson of Chinsegut’s Francis Ederington. Most of his crew members were also Ederington descendents and it was a joy watching them figure out the science of safely removing the broken parts of the tree and preserving what remains standing.

The next day, in light rain, volunteers picked up debris and trimmed the azaleas as recommended by Liberty Tree Care to help them recover from being squished by the Sunrise Oak.

This week showed again how much Chinsegut matters to us all and I want to thank our county leadership and our community volunteers for their investment in this important space. Taxpayers saved thousands of dollars with the use of volunteers and those that helped preserve Chinsegut for future generations.

P.S. Every day in August I’m releasing a name from the Chinsegut guestbook that will be featured in my upcoming Visiting Chinsegut: Volume 2. Follow The Elizabeth Robins Diary Podcast Facebook Page to see every post. And if you don’t have Visiting Chinsegut, Volume 1, you can buy it at Chinsegut Hill Historic Site gift shop. All proceeds benefit the museum.