Photo by Toni GibbonsColleen Marsh, secretary for the Holbrook Chamber of Commerce Board, stands in front of curio cabinet at the Historic Courthouse Museum that was originally made for the Painted Desert Inn at the Petrified Forest. The courthouse holds many treasures that may now be in danger.
Photo by Toni GibbonsColleen Marsh, secretary for the Holbrook Chamber of Commerce Board, stands in front of curio cabinet at the Historic Courthouse Museum that was originally made for the Painted Desert Inn at the Petrified Forest. The courthouse holds many treasures that may now be in danger.
Holbrook Councilman Adam Marsh (right) front, along with Navajo County Historical Society Member Bill Fee (left) checks out the collection of medical equipment in an exhibit at the Holbrook Museum.

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JoLynn Fox, secretary/treasurer of the Navajo County Historical Society, shows off one of the new exhibits at the Holbrook Museum, which is a replication of the Blevins House along with the history of the shooting that took place there.

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Colleen Marsh, secretary for the Holbrook Chamber of Commerce, presented the newly established GoFundMe account named “New Roof-Navajo County Historic Courthouse” at the annual meeting of the Navajo County Historical Society (NCHS) on March 28.

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Marsh gave credit for the idea and implementation of the account to Robin Gonzales and newly elected NCHS president Nicole Young. “Robin asked if there was a way to raise funds in digital way and so we created the GoFundMe account,” said Marsh.

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“GoFundMe is an online fundraising tool,” continued Marsh. “You have to have a specific project, which we defined as the new roof. Any excess funds that are raised beyond the $200,000 we have specified can then be applied to secondary outcomes for that project, like fixing the water damage in the building from where the roof leaked.”

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The whole process for fixing the roof, which includes wrapping the building to protect the space from asbestos, removing the hazardous shingles and fully repairing the leaking and deteriorating roof will cost at least $200,000.

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To create financial peace of mind, a separate bank account has been set up to receive the funds from PayPal. “We have also enrolled as an actual charity,” said Marsh. “This is another way to successfully raise funds. This is not just Holbrook or Navajo County or even Arizona. We had 99 visitors here at the museum today. All those people can connect and contribute and tell their friends.”

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With PayPal now connecting with GoFundMe, people can receive the paperwork to document the charitable donation directly from PayPal. Once a donation is made, people are encouraged to share and comment. Pictures can also be posted.

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“This is the age of social media, so people can become a part of it,” shared Marsh. “This is a friendly and tangible way to draw people in. Hopefully, it brings the historical society’s wonderful efforts to the next level.”

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The courthouse was originally built in 1898 with a wood shingle roof and 1929 asbestos shingles were put on top of the original wood shingles. According to the GoFundMe account site, “Today, the 90-year-old roof is full of pinhole leaks and has whole sections of missing shingles, and it sits on The Mother Road, Route 66. This courthouse is a living piece of Arizona’s Old West and Route 66 history, but everyday its preservation is at risk because of this deteriorating roof.”

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To donate, go to www.gofundme.com/HolbrookMuseumRoof.

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