Local Bed and Breakfast Donates Percent of Profits to Jacksonville Area Museum

By Jeremy Coumbes on August 2, 2019 at 3:41pm

Local developer Scotty DeWolf presented a $750 check to the Jacksonville Area Museum on August 1. The check is the first installment of an ongoing commitment to donate a percentage of the profits from his Jacksonville Air B-N-B operations to the museum, which is scheduled to open in a year in the old Post Office building downtown. The museum is being developed by the Jacksonville Heritage Cultural Center (HCC) Board. Pictured in front of DeWolf's Ayers Mansion II on W. State Street are, left to right: HCC Treasurer James Pisell; Mr. DeWolf; HCC Board Chairman David Blanchette; HCC Board members Michael Burke, Trevor Lawson and John Clancy; HCC Board Vice Chair Samantha Sauer; and HCC Board member Kyla Hurt. Photo courtesy Jacksonville Area Museum.

The Jacksonville Area Museum received a donation from a local developer Thursday afternoon.

Board Chairman of the Jacksonville Heritage Cultural Center David Blanchette along with several other members of the board were present to accept the donation.

“The Jacksonville Area Museum is very appreciative of local developer Scotty DeWolf’s commitment to give a percentage of the gross revenues of his bed and breakfast operations to the Jacksonville Area Museum. He’s indicated this will be a continuing commitment, so today’s check presentation is the first of what we hope are many years of cooperation with Scotty” said Blanchette.

Mr. DeWolf presented the check to the Board at the Ayers Mansion No 2 bed and breakfast on West State Street. Mr. DeWolf is committing 5% of the bed and breakfast income to the museum project each quarter.

Said Mr. DeWolf, “I’m all in on the museum. The museum is going to be a wonderful assert to tourists, and it also is a legacy for local people to be able to have a palpable sense of their history. “

Blanchette gave some insight to the vision and mission of the museum project.

“Many people may remember the old Cultural Heritage Center that used to be located in the Illinois School for the Deaf main building, and this is the modern iteration of that. It is going to be in the old Post Office building which the Morgan County Historical Society acquired specifically for that use. And it’s going to feature aspects that are important to Jacksonville’s cultural and historical fabric. So you will be able to see exhibits and interpretations and artifacts, and hopefully we will be able to have a schedule of special events there.”

The Heritage Cultural Center relies solely on donations to get the Museum finished and open to the public. “We encourage and welcome any donations to the Jacksonville Area Museum. It is going to be entirely volunteer operated and we are going to depend on visitor donations. It will be free admission with suggested donations at least at first, until the back portion is fully developed, so we always encourage such donations.” said Blanchette.