The Cumberland County Commission Building and Grounds Committee met yesterday to discuss the condition of the roof at Homestead Tower.

Officials say the roof is in bad shape and water is now leaking inside, mainly dripping onto the stairs leading up to the top of the tower, during and after rainfall. That is creating a safety concern as well as endangering items housed in the tower that are irreplaceable. Some of the wood under the shingles on the roof is in bad shape.

Bids were requested to repair the roof and those ranged from $74,000 with a 50 year warranty up to $153,000 with a 75 year warranty. These quotes are for the roof only as the windows of the tower are also in need of resealing. Officials also noted the electrical in the tower is in need of upgrading. Officials are waiting on one more bid to come in for the project.

Once a bid is accepted, the first step would be asbestos testing of the roof.

The Building and Ground Committee will meet again April 6, 2020 to review the bids and possibly send one to the full county commission for consideration.

The Homestead Tower is one of the most iconic sites in Cumberland County.

The tower was constructed in 1938 to house the government administrative offices of the Cumberland Homesteads, a New Deal subsistence homesteading program of the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration during the Great Depression.

The winding stairway inside the tower leads to a lookout platform at the top. Most of the original 252 farmsteads can be seen from this vantage point.

The building was opened as a museum in 1984. The four large rooms at the base of the tower are now used for museum displays and a gift shop. Exhibits include a collection of photos, documents and artifacts from the 1930’s and 1940’s when the community was developing.

The Homestead Tower Museum is open Monday – Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 until 4 p.m. year round.