Volunteers receive History Heroes awards for their work restoring Princeton building

Rodney Johnson said restoring the Sash Stalter Matson Building in Princeton has been rewarding on multiple levels.

What he and the other volunteers from the Princeton Veterans Group and Flags of Freedom may find next in their work restoring the more-than-a-century-old building is among them.

“We were working on the stage, and we found an old projection screen that pulls up to watch films,” Johnson said. “It was tucked under the board on the stage. No one knew it was there.

“That’s just one of the treasures we’ve found. There’s history everywhere in the building.”

Fellow volunteer Jeff Graham concurred, sharing the story of finding Civil War era books that fell behind a bookcase in Princeton’s former library. Johnson also pointed out how pull out doors upstairs folded into the wall.

“The history of the building is for more than we realize,” Johnson said. “That’s why it’s so important we restore it to what it was.”

The volunteer group composed of Johnson, Graham, Brad Oeder, Kevin Baumgartner, Tom Root and Tom Lange, has been a big part of the Bureau County History Center’s mission to reopen the Sash Stalter Matson building. They put in more than 850 hours to clean, paint and get the lower level ready for events and general use, including the move of True Leaves Bookshop into the space as a tenant.

“They are an amazing group and the Board has formally recognized them as History Heroes,” said Lex Poppens, executive director of the Bureau County History Center.

Poppens and Jim Dunn, board president of the Bureau County Historical Society, presented the volunteers with awards Friday at an open house inside the Sash Stalter Matson building.

“It was pretty overwhelming,” Graham said of the awards. “It’s great to see the progress we’ve made.”

Johnson and Graham said it’s been rewarding to see the expressions on board members faces when they see the transformations the building has undergone in the process.

“It’s really been a pleasure to see what it can be and to bring it back,” Graham said of restoring the building that closed in 2007 when the Princeton Public Library moved out.

The next areas of focus will be restoring the west stair well that was damaged from a broken water line in 2014. In addition, the top floor was once dedicated as an auditorium and would be a fitting large event space. Work will begin to restore both as soon as funds become available, Poppens said.

The volunteer group is ready for whatever projects are next. They are glad they are pitching in to make history.

“This has been fun for us, we enjoy each other’s company,” Johnson said. “The historical society has been awesome to us and we’re happy to give back.”

How to help

The history center urges individuals to either become a donor or a member. The group operates solely on donations and memberships. It is not a part of the county or city government; 27.4% of its annual operations are from memberships and donations. The balance of funding comes from grants and Historical Society support. Donors can either give by sending donations to the history center, 109 Park Ave. W, Princeton, IL 61356, or through the website www.bureauhistory.org. Any amount is appreciated.