You Don’t Have To Be There To Make a Difference….
My first journey to Craftsman Farms, Gustav Stickley’s sprawling log cabin built across the Hudson River from Manhattan on 650 acres of rolling farmland and woods, took place in 1989.
Threatened with either demolition or conversion into a clubhouse for a proposed housing development, the log cabin had recently been saved by a dedicated group of preservationists. I had been asked to examine the painted interior log walls and to offer my suggestions as to a means of removing the paint and restoring the chestnut logs to their original 1911 appearance.
Since then I have journeyed back as many times as possible and each time have marveled at the efforts, energy and enthusiasm of the entire staff and one of the most fantastic groups of volunteers any non-profit organization could ever dream of having.
As you may have guessed, one task they never can complete is that of raising the money desperately needed for everything from structural repairs to basic home maintenance to the educational programs organized and directed by the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms. While the staff continues to apply for grants from the state of New Jersey, various foundations and corporations, the foundation relies heavily on individuals just like you and me.
Next month the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms will be hosting a Gala Homecoming Celebration on October 15-16. Included in the weekend festivities will be tours, lectures and an evening of dining and entertainment at the nearby Mountain Lakes Club, including live and silent auctions, music, dancing and the Als Ik Kan Award ceremony honoring John H. Bryan.
Many of you who live outside of the New Jersey area may not be able to come, but I would like to make a suggestion of how you could help make the weekend a success.
Estimate the cost of your plane ticket, your lodging for two nights and what you most likely would have spent on food. Add those figures together and send a check for that amount to the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms.
It’s that easy. (And it’s a 100% tax-deductible contribution for you.)
And it’s a way you can do your part to help preserve and maintain one of the most important vestiges of the American Arts & Crafts movement.
Do it today.
Until Next Monday,
Bruce Johnson
The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms
2352 Route 10 West
Morris Plains, NJ 07950