Vandals damage buildings on Greene County Historical Society Museum property
Mike Jones/Observer-Reporter
Greene County Historical Society Executive Director Matt Cumberledge looks over a display case, which holds horse harnesses used by the U.S. Army in World War I, that was smashed by vandals Tuesday night.
Mike Jones/Observer-Reporter
Greene County Historical Society Executive Director Matt Cumberledge, executive assistant Janis Rohanna, center, and historical society board member Barb Jones inspect an SUV parked near the museum that vandals damaged Tuesday night.
Photo courtesy of the Greene County Historical Society Museum
This still image from the Greene County Historical Society Museum’s surveillance video system shows the vehicle that the vandals traveled in when they damaged several buildings on the property.
Vandals ransacked several buildings at the Greene Historical Society Museum near Waynesburg late Tuesday, causing more than $10,000 in damage to several displays, multiple doorways and even a parked car.
Three or four men drove to the museum on Rolling Meadows Road in a pickup truck shortly after 10 p.m. and spent nearly a half-hour walking around the property breaking into five buildings and creating a mess that the museum staff is still working to clean up.
While workers and volunteers spent Wednesday and Thursday checking for damage and securing the buildings, historical society Executive Director Matt Cumberledge said it appears that nothing of value was taken from the property.
“We’re good. It could’ve been much worse,” he said, adding that a damage claim is being turned over to the historical society’s insurance carrier. “We’re doing some Band-Aid fixes to secure things.”
“We spent (Wednesday) trying to secure everything,” added Janis Rohanna, who serves as executive assistant.
According to surveillance video from multiple cameras around the property, a white pickup truck pulled into the driveway at 10:06 p.m. and two teenagers and one or two adults got out and began walking around the area. The windshield and windows of an SUV that was parked at the property were smashed, although the vehicle was there because it was eventually going to be scrapped, so the damage to that is negligible.
From there, the group tried kicking in walls and a door to the storage barn, where they smashed a glass display case containing horse harnesses used by the U.S. Army during World War I. They also overturned another display case in the barn and sprayed a fire extinguisher around the interior, leaving a dusty residue on everything inside. They then broke into a nearby structure holding archives, but for unknown reasons, nothing was taken from either building.
“We don’t think the goal was to steal,” Cumberledge said. “More to destroy.”
The vandals kicked in doors elsewhere, including to the basement of the old farmhouse where the museum is located, but they apparently never attempted to enter the main floor where many artifacts are displayed and stored.
“What I really dislike is everyone in this room will have this worry each night,” Cumberledge said as he stood in the museum Thursday morning with Rohanna and two historical society board members as they discussed the vandalism with a reporter.
“Our peace of mind at home is broken,” Rohanna added about them being constantly worried that someone may be vandalizing the museum.
The staff posted several still images from the surveillance video on the historical society’s Facebook page, and there has been a hefty response from the community trying to help identify the vandals. Cumberledge said the comments by area residents have been “heart-touching,” while Rohanna noted that many people are “disgusted” by the damage done to the museum.
The situation has also helped the staff to focus on beefing up their security just before the museum is scheduled to open for the season on April 29.
“This makes us look with more intensity on what needs to be improved,” said Barb Jones, who is a member of the historical society’s board.
While the staff is keenly interested in catching the people responsible for the vandalism, Cumberledge said they’re also excited about opening to the public for the season later this month. He noted they’ve made it through the COVID-19 pandemic and other problems in the past, so he’s confident they’ll be able to deal with this recent issue as well.
“As a team, we’ve been able to roll with the punches and overcome anything,” Cumberledge said. “Nothing will keep us from doing what we’re doing here.”
State police are investigating, although no report was available Thursday. Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to contact the barracks at 724-627-6151.
“You will be caught. You will be because we have a very upset community that is keeping an eye on things,” Cumberledge said. “The number of people who have seen the photos is overwhelming.”