Adding Air to McMurtrey House Will Make Village More Appealing

RISON - The Pioneer Village took a major step forward this week in becoming a year-round attraction for small weddings and other gatherings when a new heating and cooling system was installed in the McMurtrey House. Completion of the project means that three of the historic buildings on the site - the Mt. Olivet Methodist-Episcopal Church, the Mercantile and the McMurtrey House - are now heated and cooled. "I can see us doing small weddings," said Malinda Berry, who is part of the group overseeing the Pioneer Village. "It really does help us provide a venue for people regardless of the weather outside." One of the goals of the Pioneer Village is to make it into a venue to host small weddings and other events. The revenue generated through renting the facility for those type of events will help maintain and run the Village. However, without heating and cooling inside any of the structures, use of the facility was basically limited to the more suitable temperatures of the spring and fall. Berry said that was primary reason for adding the heating and cooling systems - make it where the buildings could be used year-round. While many of the historic structures were once equipped with central heat and air conditioning, those units fell into disrepair when the Pioneer Village was shut down for several years. All the units as well as the ventilation systems had to be removed. About three years ago, the Pioneer Village began making an effort to bring climate control to the main historic buildings. The first structure to receive the split heating/air conditioning units was as The Mercantile. Originally constructed in 1902 as the county clerk's office, the building saw a variety of uses in Rison before finally ending up at the Village. The small building has been converted into a turn-of-the-century mercantile complete with handmade crafts and old fashion snacks. The Mt. Olivet Church, which was...