Restoration complete

WANTAGE — The Chinkchewunska Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution announced that the restoration to the Exterior of the Reverend Elias Van Bunschooten Museum has been completed and the historic home is once again open to the public.

The Reverend Elias Van Bunschooten House was built in 1790 and deeded to the Chinkchewunska Chapter in 1970. The house was placed on the State and National Registers of Historic Sites and Places and is now known as the DAR Van Bunschooten Museum.

The house has had a complete face lift and the painting of the home as been restored to its original historic accurate colors.

"We are proud to announce the completion of the restoration to the exterior of the Reverend Elias Van Bunschooten Museum, which we undertook in 2015," Bonnie Matthews, Chapter Regent said. "Our goal was to restore the exterior of the house and bring the 1790 house to life again for our community."

The Chinkchewunska Chapter was awarded a grant by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) in the amount of $10,000 on April 17. Funding for this project was made possible through the sponsorship of Chinkchewunska Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, located in Wantage Township.

The project started with the replacing of the rotted and water damaged facia and soffit structure on the rear of the building and upon completion of these repairs, the exterior of the museum was power washed, scraped, sanded, primed and a finish paint coat was applied. The windows were caulked and painted. The window shutters were scraped and sanded before applying a final coat of paint.

Hanging of the newly resurfaced shutters completed the project.

"I would like to acknowledge those assisting with the project, Nancy Malone, Joanne Cosh, Beatrice Kota, Allyn Perry and, Gene and Stephanie Bootsma, the caretakers of the museum," Bonnie Matthews, Chapter Regent said. "I would also like to thank Project Lighthouse, NJ State Regent's Project for their help and a big thank you to the members of the Chinkchewunska Chapter and the general public who contributed to our fund raisers."

The DAR grants program was started in 2010. Funding is awarded to support projects in local communities that promote the organization's mission areas of historic preservation, education and patriotism. The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was founded in 1890 to promote patriotism, preserve American history, and support better education for our nation's children.

Its members are descended from the patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. With nearly 170,000 members in approximately 3,000 chapters worldwide, DAR is one of the world's largest and most active service organization.

To learn more about the work of DAR, visit www.DAR.org. For more about applying for a Special Projects Grant from DAR, visit www.dar.org/grants. For more information, contact Bonnie Matthews, Regent at 201-874-1428 or visit www.rootsweb.com/~njdar/Chinkchewunska/chapter.html.