Wednesday, September 15, 2021, 6:30 PM: GCAS general meeting at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site located at 12 Sage Drive in Mimbres, one block east of Highway 35 between Mile Markers 3 and 4 and just a bit north of the old Mimbres Valley Cafe.

We are thrilled to host Allen Denoyer of Archaeology Southwest who will offer us a 2 for 1 presentation. In the early part of the evening he will demonstrate flintknapping on the porch of the Gooch House. If you have never witnessed his skills, you will be amazed! Then, as it gets dark, he will present a slideshow on the Early Agricultural Time Period. Meet at 6:30 for snacks and chats, and we will briefly make any announcements that might arise before Allen's presentation starts at 7:00 PM sharp. Due to uncertain pandemic concerns, please have your masks handy, and we will see you there!

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The ceiling lights and fans are up and running in both library and lab. Ceilings and walls have their final coats of paint and IFWEF’s contractor has installed laminate flooring throughout the two rooms except where work is pending on two exterior doors and their wood jambs and transom lights. Baseboards are cut to size, painted, and in place. The rooms’ four interior doors await only their final coats of paint.

We are thrilled to announce that the following friends have contributed a combined total of $8,022.12 in support of our MAREC rehabilitation project. Thanks to them the GCAS's two rooms in the historic Wood House have fresh coats of paint in cheerful colors, bright lights and ceiling fans, a utility sink/workbench assembly that can't be beat, and much more. Thank you, one and all, for making the MAREC dream come true:

We of the GCAS cannot say "thank you" often enough to all the supporters of our MAREC rehabilitation project. Please join these wonderful people as we move into the final stretch of construction - and if you have contributed but do not see your name on the list below, please contact us so we can correct our error and thank you properly!

This latest installment of our MAREC project finds our volunteers (that's some of them over there on the right) completing smaller, more compartmentalized jobs in between visits by IFWEF’s contractor. He and his crew carried out our request to coat the flat, smooth sheetrock on the lab and library’s ceilings, fireplace encapsulation, and electrical panel with an orange-peel texture so that those surfaces would harmonize with the walls' coarser stucco. We were not disappointed. The results are superb.

We are excited to announce that our GCAS supporters have now contributed a total of over $7000 toward our project goal of $10,000. Such generosity has allowed us to continue through the typical fits and starts every rehabilitation project faces, and for that we thank all of our donors. We and IFWEF continue to coordinate the work of our two groups' volunteers with IFWEF's two professional contractors, while each group navigates the challenges of timing the purchase of construction materials subject to - shall we say - today's opportunity pricing.

The GCAS doesn't want anyone to be burdened by a donation, or feel bad that they can't donate the amount they'd like. However, even the smallest gift goes a long way toward our goal. Click on this image over there on the right, for another list of examples of microdonations that keep us moving forward with our MAREC project, and the specific items your contribution buys.

In lieu of a money donation, please consider volunteering some of your time as the interior rehab of the Wood House begins in earnest. We'd appreciate your help with all kinds of projects, from packing-up boxes to cleaning walls and floors, and more! We are grateful for your generosity, whatever form it takes.

Donate here, either online or by standard mail.

Contact us by email or telephone Marianne Smith at 772-529-2627 if questions or for arranging to volunteer your time.

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As we move into April our project partner, the Imogen F. Wilson Education Foundation (IFWEF), is trading places with us to start work on some of their portions of the Wood House rehabilitation. This will allow the GCAS to rest and regroup for our next phase.

One of the GCAS's jobs during February and early March involved the Wood House's adobe fireplace. It had originally served the two downstairs rooms we are working on now, and the two rooms directly upstairs. This fireplace presented a dilemma for our volunteers: its chimney had disappeared decades ago, rendering it useless; but we determined that the surviving, out-of-plumb hearth and mantel downstairs were the central support for this four-room section of the Wood House. Removal was contraindicated.

We of the GCAS are thrilled to announce that the support from our members and friends continues as we forge ahead with our big rehabilitation project. We are deeply grateful to the following individuals and organizations, who our GCAS Treasurer reports have contributed a combined total of $6122.86 toward our goal of $10,000. They and a few anonymous donors have enabled our GCAS volunteers to keep pushing ahead, spending our donors' money on structural repairs, electrical upgrades including charging stations for small electronics, and more. The rooms are becoming visibly more functional and we are excited to be past the halfway point in construction. Please consider joining our friends in helping the GCAS move even closer toward our finish line:

A few spots of bad weather have periodically slowed down work in the two rooms the GCAS is rehabbing in the historic Wood House, but during the past several weeks one GCAS volunteer, working solo, has completed the floor repairs. Floor-leveling and plywood sheathing are done and the floor in both rooms awaits finishing with engineered hardwood flooring. The below-ground-level work is back-breaking.