May was Preservation Month  

Hosted by Washburn Heritage Association (WHA)

The Washburn Heritage Association invited the public to celebrate May Preservation Month and they focused their attention on our historical buildings and unique heritage. This year we introduced a brand-new brochure — Washburn Historic Buildings Tour — to encourage residents and visitors to explore our community.  We are also focused attention on “The Club”.

The Club was built in 1919 specifically for families that worked at the DuPont Barksdale Plant during WWI and WWII. It offered bowling alleys, gymnasium, showers, pool room, fireplace room, meeting rooms and offices. For decades, The Club was the center of activity for Washburn residents of all ages.

As DuPont was reducing its operations, they donated The Club to the City in 1961.  For years the cost of operation and maintenance overwhelmed the City budget. In 2009 the City of Washburn proposed complete demolition. As a result of the Washburn Heritage Association’s leadership, this plan was reversed. The building was purchased privately and restoration initiated in 2010.

With the infusion of many donations and thousands of volunteer hours during the last ten years, The Club is now being restored to its original beauty under the leadership of a non-profit foundation. After years of being closed, the building received its public occupancy certificate in March 2021 and local groups are now using the building for meetings, small group activities and scheduled public tours.

The Preservation Month was successfully completed at the end of the month.