Lightning

damages roof

of museum

Building has been hit by lightning two previous times

By GUY PRIEL

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Lightning struck the Brown County Historical Museum Wednesday night,knocking the roof cap, the concrete sleeve, and some bricks off the roof on the west side of the building.

The museum, which was built in 1910, is located at the corner of Center of Broadway. It is the former post office and is listed on the National Register of Historical Places.

"I knew something happened because I saw the bolts from my house on 3rd South," one bystander said. "I also heard it hit."

Some of the bricks landed in the parking lot across the street at Berens, Rodenberg and O'Connor Law Office. Other pieces of concrete debris fell in the adjacent parking lot, sidewalk, and streets near the building.

"It was quite an explosion," witness Bill Macrie said. "I saw a big flash, and next thing I knew everything started flying."

There were pieces that went sideways following the initial strike, and a few seconds later a large piece fell from the roof, smashing into pieces on the ground, he said.

"I was running between the drug store and the building at the time, trying to get out the rain as fast as I could," he said. "I guess I was about four or five feet from it at the time."

As museum personnel assessed the damage Thursday, they experienced relief that the damage occurred during the night.

"It's a good thing this didn't happen in the middle of the day," Museum staff member Art Clement said. "Otherwise, someone could have gotten hit by a piece of cement, or there would have been cars in the parking lot that could have been hit."

The thickness of the building's walls may have prevented a fire in the museum as a result of the strike, he said.

"This is the third time in known history that the building has been hit by lightning," Director Bob Burgess said. "The last time it got hit it was in the exact same place. There is some damage to the slate roof tiles, and there may be some native stone involved as well."

The last time the building was struck was in 1997. At that time, the end cap came down in several large pieces. This time, there were lots of little pieces, making clean up more difficult, Clement said.

"That must have been a powerful strike to cause the roof to explode like that," he said.

Burgess spent the morning with officials from Gag Sheet Metal of New Ulm and other adjusters to develop damage estimates, which are unknown at this time. No damage to the interior of the building has been discovered, Burgess said.

"There is a three-fold problem connected to this," he said. "The brick got knocked off, hitting the roof, which then falls into the gutters. We are happy to have a local business that can replace the roof and restore it to its historic look. If it wasn't for that, the cost of replacement could be even higher. We have to put it back together. That's what people expect from a historic building."

Museum officials will be in contact with American Artstone of New Ulm regarding a replacement piece. Artstone replaced the roof cap in 1997, but the cost is fairly high, Burgess said.

Officials with Gag Sheet Metal made the recommendation in 1997 that BCHS officials put a lightning rod on the building, which is one of the tallest buildings in town, to prevent further damage.

The first time the roof was struck by lightning was in 1981, according to information on file at the Brown County Historical Society.