It’s been almost three years since a devastating fire consumed half of the Orange Grove Area Museum. Now, they are asking for help.
Standing inside the Orange Grove Area Museum used to take you back in time, but now it takes you back to 2022 when a fire destroyed half of the building and some of the artifacts in it.
“It was devastating. It was a punch in the gut for the community,” Ernest Henderson, who has been the Orange Grove Area Museum Board president for more than 20 years said.
“We lost a lot of irreplaceable items for our museum. And we lost our building as well. It was a total loss,” Henderson said.
The probable cause of the fire, Henderson said, was an electrical short in the back of the building.
They lost the military room, displays on churches and wagons, and much more valuable items.
Once the smoke settled they began the plan to rebuild, but still haven’t collected enough funds.
Henderson said the insurance money went into the electrical work on the portion of the remaining museum and the survey of the exterior wall, to name a few things.
Ashley Cherry has lived in Orange Grove for 14 years with her husband and two teenage boys. She said the money the museum has received went into operational funds.
“They are struggling getting the finances they need to rebuild,” Cherry said.
When Cherry took her family to the museum, she was astonished by the exhibits.
She knew she needed to help the board in the aftermath of the fire.
“Without the help of the communities and our community, the museum will stay with just this one building and everything crowded into this one building. They’ll never be able to successfully rebuild,” Cherry said.
So, she suggested they get out of their comfort zone and host a Mid-Winter Bash where all proceeds would go to the museum’s fire recovery fund.
The Mid-Winter Bash would consist of a dinner and a dance on Saturday, Jan. 18 at The Ranch in San Patricio.
“The museum preserves our history and our culture, and our heritage. And it shows the younger generations what it was like to live in days past. It gives feelings of comfort to those generations older generation,” Henderson said.
He said the board would like to raise about $50,000 to start.
Tickets for the bash can be purchased by calling the Orange Grove Area Museum at (361) 384-1300 Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to noon, and 1 p.m. till 4 p.m., or Cherry at 361-288-9177, or Henderson at 361-207-0383.
Tickets admit two people, ages 21 and up, for $100 per ticket.
There will also be both a silent and live auction. Music will be provided by two popular bands, J.R. Castillo and the Emotions.
Anyone who cannot make the bash but would like to make a financial donation can mail their donation to Value Bank, P.O. Box 797 Corpus Christi, Tx 78466 with the donation to Orange Grove Area Museum and the memo Fire Recovery Fund.
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