Museum Board

CSX Real Property's rejection of an offer by the city and Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum officials may have doomed the roundhouse to demolition, Hagerstown Mayor Robert Bruchey said at a news conference Thursday morning. Asked about odds for further negotiations, Bruchey said, "I'm not a betting man, but I wouldn't bet it will happen. " "There are three losers here," Bruchey said. "The roundhouse museum board of directors, the City of Hagerstown and CSX. " "Given the opportunity to work with CSX without their adamant all-or-nothing proposal, we could have worked something out," Bruchey said.

By RICHARD F. BELISLE Staff Writer, Waynesboro GREENCASTLE, Pa. - A museum for residents of Greencastle and surrounding Antrim Township could become a reality by the time Old Home Week rolls around this summer, according to two of the museum's board members. Bonnie Shockey and Robert "Red" Pensinger said this week that the $200,000 gift the museum board received earlier this year ensures that a building will be bought to house the museum and its collections. Shockey, 51, said the board has been looking at buildings and made a tentative offer on one. She said she hopes the deal can be closed by the end of April.

By STEVEN T. DENNIS Staff Writer In the 1950s, a secret Air Force project to build a fleet of thousands of jet-powered decoy missiles was developed by Fairchild Aircraft in Hagerstown. Radar reflectors inside the missile, nicknamed "Goose," gave the missile the same radar signature as a B-52 Stratofortress bomber. Engineers envisioned building thousands of the missiles to confuse enemy radar systems and protect the vulnerable B-52, but only about 20 were built and tested at Cape Canaveral, Fla., before the program was canceled.

By TERI JOHNSON Staff Writer The military museum at Morris Frock American Legion Post 42 commands your attention from the moment you walk in the door. The museum in the basement of the post home at 405 Northern Ave. in Hagerstown is a treasure trove of memorabilia from all branches of the service. Read the bold headline "War! Oahu Bombed by Japanese Planes," close your eyes, and it's not hard to imagine you're getting the first news about Pearl Harbor on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941.

By STEVEN T. DENNIS Staff Writer Plans are under way to construct a $2 million aviation museum near the Washington County Regional Airport, and organizers expect the project to get off the ground once funds have been raised. The museum board plans to build the Hagerstown Aviation Heritage Museum on two acres off U.S. 11. Board members said Wednesday that they do not know how long it will take to raise the money. But they said they believe large donations will come in once the nonprofit museum receives IRS approval to receive tax-exempt contributions.