Lena's History Rescured

In late July this summer, Richard Holmes, president of the Lena Historical Museum, made a weekly check on the Lena Historical Society's museum building only to find that one of the air conditioning units was not working.

For most of us, air conditioning is a matter of comfort, but for a museum it is a very important and necessary part of preservation. Once the relative humidity goes above approximately 65%, mildew and mold can start to grow on artifacts that are made of organic material such as paper, cloth, leather, and wood. Humidity, along with heat, can also cause objects to become dry, br...