Gather Place Reopens In Yardley After Renovations

YARDLEY, PA —The borough's Black History museum has undergone "a sprucing up" over the past month.

The Gather Place —which was closed for renovations for the month of March —will reopen Monday, said Shirley Lee Corsey, the museum's conservator and executive director told Patch.

Over the past month, contractors worked to replace the roof of the historic South Canal church. Work on the interior was also done with the church's wood floors sanded and the lime plaster walls, dating to the 1800s, being repaired and painted.

"The interior is done and we have things moved back in," Corsey said.

The renovations come as part of a $50,000 check awarded to Corsey by state Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D-10) to renovate the historic African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church.

"The renovations mean the absolute world to me," Corsey said. "It's such an honor to now be able to tell the rich history of Yardley’s Quaker founders as well as so many additional people like the hard-working middle-class people I grew up with who loved this community and all of its wonderful traditions."

Corsey said the museum will be open next week for week-day visits by appointment.

It is also open from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday with no appointment necessary.

The museum accepts free-will donations in person and online at www.GatherPlaceMuseum.org.

The 146-year-old structure is the first African American woman-owned and operated American History Museum to open in Bucks County. The museum features first-person history lessons and live reenactments in addition to its permanent exhibits.