Jun 7, 2024 By Melissa Gibson 3 min read

Matt Cumberledge grew up listening to his family tell stories about his ancestors, dating back more than 100 years. Now, he’s the one telling stories as executive director of the Greene County Historical Society Museum.

As a young man, the Greene County native had a passion and interest in local history. He was involved with the Cornerstone Genealogical Society and a Civil War reenactor. However, he didn’t become the museum’s executive director until 2019.

“I served in the United States Army and then as a corrections officer for many years before coming to the museum,” Cumberledge said. “There’s no way you can ever be prepared to work for a nonprofit. You have to have a passion and dive in headfirst with a willingness to do what it takes to make the organization successful. It can be a challenge, but it can be fun too. I’m glad this is the way it’s worked out.”

The Waynesburg Central High School graduate has found a career that not only uses his carpentry and management skills but feeds his natural passion for history.

The museum is a 35,000 square-foot building with 52 rooms. Built between 1857 and 1887, the maintenance alone requires patience and some thinking outside of the box.

“One of the biggest functions of the job is the upkeep and repairs to the historical building. There are 150 windows in the museum, and we’ve spent some time restoring each one and getting them back to safe, operational standards,” Cumberledge said.

In an effort to save funds, Cumberledge and a few volunteers have taught themselves how to restore the beautiful windows. They have about 20 remaining to renovate and will likely go back to the first few trial and error frames. The results are already evident.

“We’ve opened them all up and let the curtains blow out. It’s nice to have that ability, and we’ve saved a ton of money in the process,” Cumberledge said.

He’s also ultimately responsible for the exhibits, a small staff and numerous volunteers, but is particularly proud of the preservation aspect of the job.

“It’s impossible to narrow down my favorite thing, but I think the experience is a big one. The museum used to be a poor farm or county home and things look just like they did in the late 19th and early 20th century,” Cumberledge said. “I don’t know if there’s another museum in the state that is preserved to this level. It’s one of few that you can actually visit and experience.”

Visitors will see everything from home décor and furniture to other 19th century career fields with a general storeroom, physician’s office, military room and others.

The basement even features original inmate cells, and the museum has a detailed history of the W&W Railroad.

“We have a locomotive from the W&W Railroad that draws a lot of attention, and I think visitors enjoy all of the artifacts and equipment available,” Cumberledge said.

It’s all offered on a self-guided tour throughout the museum with information provided about each room and soon, Cumberledge hopes to expand.

“We’re in the process of renovating the third floor of the building to be complete sometime next year,” Cumberledge said. “For now, we’re looking forward to our main event, the Harvest Festival in the fall. We have craft vendors, demonstrations and Civil War reenactments.”

The museum is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday from April to December. For more information, visit https://greenecountyhistory.org/.