IRVINGTON—On February 3, volunteers gathered at the Steamboat Era Museum, 156 King Carter Drive, Irvington, to begin the preparations for new exhibits and the installation of the Potomac Pilothouse in the fall.

To make room for the Pilothouse, volunteers disassembled the country store and cannery exhibits, reported executive director Barbara Brecher. Other exhibits were removed from the exhibition hall to allow some interior walls to be removed.

The 2018 season, which will begin in late April, will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the museum’s founding, said Brecher. Visitors will experience the process of redesigning new museum exhibits.

The story of the Steamboat Era will continue to be told during the 2018 season. New exhibits, to be installed in the fall, will continue to tell the story of the era as well as the Steamer Potomac.

A coffee table book about the Steamboat Era and the Steamer Potomac is schedule to be published in the fall.

To donate to the Pilothouse project or the museum, visit steamboateramuseum. org.

Article re-printed from The Rappahannock Record.

From left, museum life member Jack Ashburn and board members Jim Ward and Fred Pevahouse take apart the cannery exhibit. They also disassembled the country store exhibit. Ashburn’s collection of Steamboat Era merchandise filled the store for several years.