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On a bright but chilly November day, the courtyard behind Gadsby’s Tavern Museum was given a make-over thanks to a Boy Scout Eagle Project.  Thad Morgan (left), whose parents are active supporters of the Society and the Museum, organized the clean-up and fence-building effort as his Eagle Project.  As in all Eagle Projects, Thad, a senior at Bishop O'Connell High School, was required to plan, organize, raise money for, and then lead an activity that would help the community in some way.  

Thad, who often acts as a cheerful indentured servant at Museum balls, submitted his very detailed plan to the Museum Director and a member of Alexandria’s Board of Architectural Review.  With their only minor revisions, he presented the concept to the GTMS Executive Board to request help with the funding, and the Society agreed to fund the entire request of $500 needed for supplies and debris clearance.

Over 20 Scouts from Troop 135 plus another 20 or so Scout leaders, family members, and friends came together on November 23^rd and began the arduous task of removing years of debris that ranged from yard waste to broken microwaves from around the courtyard outbuildings.  Then as the main improvement, the older Scouts began to build a fence to hide the trash containers used mainly by Gadsby’s Tavern Restaurant. 

The younger Scouts and friends worked at cleaning up the planting areas and covering them with fresh mulch.  

Another of the tasks involved the strenuous efforts needed to clean the historic plaque at the back of the courtyard.  Years of weathering had taken its toll on the plaque which reads:

GADSBY’S TAVERN
COURTYARD
Restored with bricks from 
the ruins of “Abingdon”
Flagging and Cobblestones
from the streets of Alexandria
by 
The Garden Club of Alexandria
1930

While Alexandria City owns the Gadsby buildings, the Gadsby's Tavern Restaurant is commercial operation, which very kindly provided lunch to the Boy Scouts and their helpers.

In between tasks, Scouts who were new to the Museum were given an introductory tour starting at the newly renovated Ice Well.  We hope they will return with their family and friends for a full tour of our historic buildings.

GTMS is proud to have financially supported Thad Morgan’s Eagle Project, which will shortly lead to Thad’s achieving the coveted Eagle status in the Boy Scouts of America. 

Many thanks, Thad, and congratulations!