FBM Launches Campaign to Restore Historic Fence

Friends of Banning Museum recently initiated a campaign to restore the beautiful original wood fence around the side moat and at the front sides of the house. It is rotting. Water has seeped into the wood and the fence is gradually deteriorating.

As this fence is part of the original house, any work on it is subject to very strict compliance with historic preservation guidelines. The proper repair process involves creating molds from intact sections of the fence and then using those molds to encased damaged sections of the fence. Finally, a hardening compound is injected into to the mold to reinforce the deteriorated sections and the mold is subsequently removed. This painstaking process allows for the maximum preservation of the original wood.

The estimate for the repair is $32,000. Friends of Banning Museum members and donors who would like to support the effort to restore the fence can mail a donation to Friends of Banning Museum, PO Box 1927, Wilmington, CA 90748. Please write “Fence Repair” in the check memo section. Just press the red “Donate” button at the top of the page to pay via credit card. Please be sure to enter “Fence Repair” in the appropriate box.