Help Support the Thomas Paine Cottage
by donating to the
Repairs & Restoration Fund
by donating to the
Repairs & Restoration Fund
Hurricane Ida brought historical flooding to our area and unfortunately the Paine Cottage was deeply affected. Al though we are so grateful that the Museum section of the Cottage was spared, our basement and kitchen, grounds, schoolhouse & outdoor structures were directly affected by Ida.
Our current repairs & restoration fund will be going directly towards replacing lost and damaged items.
As our gardener has done an exceptional job of grounds cleanup, our thanks to Soundshore Landscaping, we have been asked by our community what work still has to be done and what items need replacement or repair. Below is a brief list of some of the damaged items as well as the items we are accepting donations of.
Our hot water heater, boiler, generator, power washer, gardening equipment and snow blower need replacement or repair.
Our back bridge was completely destroyed.
Slate walkways, front and back were damaged.
Back and front porch has to be repainted and floor boards repaired.
Bushes and flower beds were destroyed.
Outside wishing well sustained water damage, wood needs repair and replacement.
50% of our children's playground items were lost, now accepting donations of gently used Little Tikes items, especially the cars we lost - they are a favorite of our little visitors.
30% of our outside furniture was lost, now accepting donations of Adirondack Chairs or stack-able chairs.
Kitchen backdoor needs repair, the entire floor, stove and some cabinets have to be replaced.
Our one room historic schoolhouse has outside wood and paint damage. Schoolhouse door and foundation needs repair.
Outside storage shed needs repair inside and out.
75% of our period costumes were lost.
75% of our supplies used for educational and event programming was destroyed when our basement was under water and needs to be replaced, now accepting donations of arts & crafts supplies, holiday outdoor lights, revolutionary war educational books suitable for grades 3-7, books about New Rochelle history, books on the Siwanoy Tribe, paper products - plates, cups (hot & cold), napkins.
The integrity of our stream wall and North Avenue wall has been weakened and needs repair.
We are also hoping to avoid future ground flooding by having updated drainage installed.
Any donation, large or small, will bring us that much closer to completing our repairs and restoration. All donations are tax deductible, whether it be cash or the donation of a needed item.
We will keep the Cottage open for events and tours around our construction schedule. Being open and available for our community for entertainment and more importantly for educational programming is our number one priority. This year we celebrate our 111th anniversary of having the Cottage opened as an Historic Home Museum and we are committed to having it opened for another 111 years to come!