This is the building adjacent to the Jenkins Homestead, which was acquired and made available to the society by the Borough of Lansdale in 2000. Previously, it had been a private residence and carpentry shop.
Since it was acquired, much work went into the plans for modifying it to be suitable for use as a research center. The society’s board of trustees voted in July, 2003 to commit $25,500 toward the renovation of the research center, an amount matched by the borough. The money supplemented a $200,000 state grant that Lansdale Borough acquired with the assistance of the late state Sen. Edwin G. Holl. The board approved the additional funding so that all of the basic work on the building could be completed at one time, saving time and money, and eliminating the need for future disruptions.