The Wheeler Home – home of the famous Gen. Joe “Fightin’ Joe” Wheeler – is under construction to prepare the site to be reopened to the public.

“The ol’ girl was getting her hip replaced and a new facelift,” said Melissa Beasley, site director at Pond Springs and Belle Mont Mansion.

According to The Alabama Historical Commission Web site, the main house at Pond Spring was closed January 1, 2000, and will reopen after extensive restorations are complete.

The current phase of restoration involves the foundation of the home, both porches and the stabilization of the out buildings. The goal is to restore the exterior of the Wheeler home and the attached Sherrod home, eventually leading to the refurbishment of the interior and mechanical workings of the home. When all work is completed, artifacts will be displayed in the homes again.

The Wheeler Home has valuable insights into a time in the past. It shows architecture and gives a clue into the everyday life at the turn of the century, said Leland Free, who serves on the board of The Friends of the General Joe Wheeler Foundation.

“It’s like walking into a time machine,” he said.

Beasley agrees.

“The fur, the uniforms, the medals and all of the items, they really tell a story, not just of Gen. Joe Wheeler and his family but of Alabama,” she said.

Cheryl Sneddon is one of many working to preserve the items inside of the time-capsule home. She is the coordinator of collections for the Alabama Historical Commission for the Pond Spring collection. She records and catalogs items found in the house suitable to museum standards, monitors the collection and is in charge of the preservation and cleaning of the items.

“I make sure they are in the best possible condition right now,” Sneddon said. “You have to start at where it was and go from there.”

Funding for the restoration and preservation of the Wheeler home comes from individual contributions and grants from sources such as The Alabama Department of Transportation, Federal Save American Treasures Grant and grants from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The hardest part of her job, Sneedon said, is having to stay within the allotted budget. Money does not come into the project fast enough to restore or save everything right away, she said.

“You realize you’re losing something. Dollars are dollars. When there are over 10,000 artifacts, and you can only pick 30 (to conserve) it’s hard,” she said.

Beasley agrees. Restoration of the Wheeler home and other buildings on site is a slow process due to funding.

Completion of the restoration and reopening “depends on when the money comes,” she said. “I just go day by day and do what needs to be done that day.”

According to Sneddon, the current facility is leased until 2009 and all groups hope the Wheeler Home will reopen for public viewing the same year.

The Pond Spring historic site, on which the Wheeler home is located, encompasses 50 acres of land, 12 historic buildings, formal boxwood gardens and three family cemeteries. The project includes further archaeological and historical research, planning, an interpretation center, and complete restoration of the buildings and boxwood gardens. The home will have an environmental system to stabilize the temperature and humidity and new fire-suppression system installed.

Tours of the grounds are available by appointment for groups of 10 or more. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for students, seniors or military, and $2 for children ages 6-18. An appointment must be made at least two weeks in advance. Call (256) 637-8513 or email wheplan@hiwaay.net to schedule a guided tour.