General and Mrs. Grant Pay a Call as Courthouse Museum Second Floor Dedicated

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Published on October 3 2016 9:52 am
Last Updated on October 3 2016 10:28 am
Written by Greg Sapp

(ECCCMA PRESIDENT DELAINE DONALDSON PRESENTS A PLATE BEARING A LIKENESS OF GENERAL GRANT TO THE GRANT RE-ENACTOR PRESENT FOR SATURDAY EVENING'S CEREMONY)

It's been a labor of love.

The effort by the Effingham County Cultural Center and Museum Association to renovate the second floor of the historic Courthouse Museum was celebrated Saturday evening. A ceremony featuring remarks by a General Ulysses Grant re-enactor and his wife, who portrayed First Lady Julia Grant (SCOTT AND PEGGY WHITNEY), music by the FACE Community Orchestra, and a ball with music provided by the Salt Creek String Band graced the evening.

Volunteers have worked for months to strip the second floor courtroom of its dark paneling and drop ceilings and make it glow as it did when unveiled in 1872 with painted walls, a tin ceiling and a cupola being painted by local surgeon Ruben Boyajian. Many were unaware of the cupola until the drop ceiling was removed.

Here are some photos from the evening, with many local and area residents dressed in period costumes: