NEW PALESTINE — A history museum in downtown New Palestine is warning residents of a scam.
An advertisement posted on the website Craigslist this week claims the New Palestine Main Street and Museum, 11 E. Main St., is seeking clothes, purses and household items to help the organization recover after water damaged its building.
But museum officials posted on Facebook warning people not to give to the Craigslist advertiser. The person does not work for their organization, officials said.
Michael Dean, president of New Palestine Main Street, said the museum is currently closed for repairs and renovation after rain water seeped up through the floor of the historic building where the museum is housed. While some newspaper clippings were destroyed by the water, which rose a few inches high, no other items were damaged or destroyed, he said.
The groups tried to convey that to the community using its social media pages.
“Please be assured that all of our precious and beloved artifacts are safe and well,” its Facebook post reads. “The restoration cost is covered by insurance.”
A museum volunteer alerted Dean to the Craigslist post, asking if perhaps the museum was collecting items for a rummage sale. The group has held rummage sales in the past as fundraisers to support its programs, Dean said, and New Palestine residents have always been supportive of the museum’s efforts by contributing knickknacks to be sold.
However, the author of the Craigslist post isn’t affiliated with New Palestine Main Street or the history museum, he said.
“The fact that somebody was using the museum as a crutch and playing on the hearts of the community is very upsetting to me,” Dean said.
Museum officials encourage anyone with information about the author or the post to contact the New Palestine Police Department at 317-861-4225.
