From left, Larry Cenotto, Jerry Chaix, Barbara Long, Georgia Fox and Dave Butow of the Amador County Historical Society get ready to inspect the county museum for their effort to get its doors open again. Photo by: Scott Thomas Anderson

Amador's elected officials may be running low on funds to work with, but its historical society is running high on optimism as members look forward to helping Jackson revitalize and getting the county museum back in business.

The county museum is housed in a building overlooking Jackson that dates back to 1859. Despite its strong, sturdy appearance, last July, Amador's General Service Administration concluded that it had serious structural problems, as well as liability issues regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act. A sharp decrease in revenues left the county with little hope of fixing the problems. Much to the disappointment of tourists and history fans alike, the museum was closed. Its doors have remained shut ever since.

Soon after, the Amador County Historical Society began making overtures about possibly fixing the museum. In October, noted county historian Larry Cenotto joined the group's board of directors in order to help with the mission.

With assistance from ACHS member Stan Lukowicz, the society moved into a new office at 1 Main St., Jackson, with the idea that it would now have a new base of operations and would pursue a number of vital goals.

One such goal is playing a role in revamping Jackson's Main Street. The society plans to use its new office and volunteer force to act as a visitor's center for the historic downtown district. "We've been in talks with the chamber of commerce and the Amador Council of Tourism on how to do that," Cenotto said. "That's one objective we had in mind that's ready to go now." They also plan to open an Old West library at the office.

The other major plan the ACHS has is to explore the possibility of taking over the museum restoration project. "What we've wanted all along is for us to be able to take a look at the building and grounds in order to assess whether it's a project the society could realistically take on," Cenotto recalled. "There are a lot of issues the county has to contend with that a nonprofit organization might not have to, such as paying prevailing wage and things like that, meaning we might be able to get the work done for a fraction of the cost. At this point, it remains to be seen, because we haven't had a chance to evaluate the building for ourselves."

According to Cenotto, the ACHS spent nearly a year trying to convince county officials to give them access to the museum but were held up by misunderstandings regarding what the society's aims were. That changed when Jackson's new county supervisor, John Plasse, entered the picture. Plasse worked with various county departments and finally got the ACHS in a position where it, as a nonprofit organization, can have access to the museum and make improvements to its structure and its grounds.

Dave Butow of the ACHS is heading up the society's committee to tackle the museum issue. The committee will also include two former Amador County Museum curators and a retired GSA worker. "I think we're finally getting something done," Butow told the Ledger Dispatch. "To move forward I think we're going to have to get some experts who know about restoring old buildings from this particular era. We've already got people in mind to try to figure out what's really going on with it."

The unknown factors surrounding the museum are on Plasse's mind as well, though the supervisor is hopeful the museum will open again. In general, Plasse is extremely supportive of putting an emphasis on volunteerism in the community.

"This county is rich in people who are willing to step up and volunteer and I think we elected officials need to see the value of that and utilize it," Plasse said. "To that end, we're looking to streamline the process for nonprofit groups to get involved with things like this. In the case of the historical society, these are people who are willing to use their knowledge and passion for local history in a way that could really benefit the community as a whole."