Police investigating theft at Greene County Historical Society and Museum

GREENE COUNTY, Pa. — Police are investigating after someone broke into the Greene County Historical Society and Museum and took off with cash.

Workers said they panicked when they arrived at the museum one day this week and found the door broken down. The museum is housed in a farmhouse that was built in the 1850s and workers feared someone had stolen priceless artifacts from inside.

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“It’s disheartening to have this happen. We work so hard for the community to preserve the history,” curator Ebbin Williams said.

Williams said the break-in occurred during a short period of time when the museum’s security system was down for maintenance. He said the thief rummaged through the basement, where tools, paint and cash are kept.

“We were glad it was just that. At the same time, it was a violation of our trust, ripping off a non-profit,” Williams said.

Williams said only $100 is ever kept in the basement and mostly used for maintenance. He said everyone who works at the museum was relieved the thief didn’t touch any of the antiquities and only made off with the cash.

“We are very thankful it was isolated to that one spot, and we just want everyone to know the artifacts are safe. They didn’t take tools or anything. They just went through looking for money,” Williams said.

The museum is currently closed for the winter, but Williams said they have volunteers and inmates from the jail in and out who perform work. He said he’s now going to rethink allowing that kind of access to the museum.

WPXI