Museum & History Center Fundraising Project
We Need Your Help!
As part of our mission to preserve, celebrate, and share local history, FAHS has recently acquired two buildings in downtown Fairchild, made possible through a large private donation. One is the small wood-framed structure that housed everything from the Post Office to Pat Krueger’s café, to the Village’s youth center, and a residence. The other building is the former First National Bank, constructed by N. C. Foster in 1917, and later known as “Bob’s Club.”
We now need your help with renovation costs.
We cannot complete the task without the support of our members, the community, and others like you who value historic preservation and the revitalization of our rural communities.
We plan to turn the small building into the Fairchild Area & N.C. Foster History Center, where we will store and share records and other information about the Fairchild area and our ties to the many communities along Foster's railroads. The Center will also house the Society's offices where we can host presentations and coordinate our activities. The larger bank building is being renovated as our museum. We have begun to collect and carefully store records and items of historical interest
and we welcome additional such donations.
Project Updates
October 2020: Initial interior demolition work completed in the small building as well as upstairs of the bank building with added structural support for roof replacement.
August 2021: Thank you to everyone who participated in our Winter 2020-21 Building Fund drive and our 2021 Fun Days Raffle! Steel purchased for new roof, fascia, and soffit of the History Center.
November 2021: The new roof has been installed on the History Center. New doors and windows
are on order.
October 2022: Renovations of the History Center are proceeding well, including installation of doors and windows, exterior painting, HVAC, and other interior work. New siding is on order. Plumbing and electric expected to be completed soon. And thanks to a generous grant from Eau Claire County, the Museum building has a new roof!
August 2023: The History Center renovation is nearing completion! The new siding on the front façade is up and we're working with a fellow on a sign. New ceiling tile and flooring have been installed, sheet rock hung, tongue-n-groove from the old Tioga Depot is on some of the walls, and we're starting on the finishing trim work. And we have some special bookcases on order for the oversized municipal records. Won't be too much longer now.
March 2024: The History Center is now open! While we have some small things yet to do, we are open Thursdays & Fridays from 1 PM - 4 PM and Saturdays from 10 AM - 2 PM, or by appointment. We will be updating the website soon with more details. Significant masonry repairs to our future museum next door were completed during late 2024 to further stabilize the structure.
We now need your help with renovation costs.
We cannot complete the task without the support of our members, the community, and others like you who value historic preservation and the revitalization of our rural communities.
We plan to turn the small building into the Fairchild Area & N.C. Foster History Center, where we will store and share records and other information about the Fairchild area and our ties to the many communities along Foster's railroads. The Center will also house the Society's offices where we can host presentations and coordinate our activities. The larger bank building is being renovated as our museum. We have begun to collect and carefully store records and items of historical interest
and we welcome additional such donations.
Project Updates
October 2020: Initial interior demolition work completed in the small building as well as upstairs of the bank building with added structural support for roof replacement.
August 2021: Thank you to everyone who participated in our Winter 2020-21 Building Fund drive and our 2021 Fun Days Raffle! Steel purchased for new roof, fascia, and soffit of the History Center.
November 2021: The new roof has been installed on the History Center. New doors and windows
are on order.
October 2022: Renovations of the History Center are proceeding well, including installation of doors and windows, exterior painting, HVAC, and other interior work. New siding is on order. Plumbing and electric expected to be completed soon. And thanks to a generous grant from Eau Claire County, the Museum building has a new roof!
August 2023: The History Center renovation is nearing completion! The new siding on the front façade is up and we're working with a fellow on a sign. New ceiling tile and flooring have been installed, sheet rock hung, tongue-n-groove from the old Tioga Depot is on some of the walls, and we're starting on the finishing trim work. And we have some special bookcases on order for the oversized municipal records. Won't be too much longer now.
March 2024: The History Center is now open! While we have some small things yet to do, we are open Thursdays & Fridays from 1 PM - 4 PM and Saturdays from 10 AM - 2 PM, or by appointment. We will be updating the website soon with more details. Significant masonry repairs to our future museum next door were completed during late 2024 to further stabilize the structure.
How To Donate
To donate to our Building Fund, please contact us or download the form below:
Building Fund Donation Form To donate records, photos, and other items of historical interest, please connect with us as soon as possible. To do so, visit our Contact page. Thank you in advance for helping us preserve area history and achieve our goals. |
Rights reserved. Photos and information on this website may be copyrighted. Photo credits: Huron Street from Wisconsin State Historical Society (top background); individual pictures/portraits provided by each respective Board member. Wisconsin State Historical Society pictures used here by FAHS with permission.