Pictured above is a recent photograph of Cathy Kerr, M&T Bank Vice President accepting the final mortgage payment from Craig Butler, The Lawson Center’s past board president and campaign chair.

BEMUS POINT – The Lawson Center Boat Museum has retired the mortgage debt on its property at 73 Lakeside Drive in Bemus Point following a successful fundraising campaign.

The Lawson Center was formed in September 2010 when David S. Lawson Jr. donated the property to a 501©(3) not-for profit organization for the purpose of creating a boat museum and hospitality destination for the Chautauqua Lake region.

Following a building restoration at a cost of $600,000 in borrowed funds, The Lawson Center opened to the public in May 2012. On January 1, 2022, a three-year campaign was launched with the objective of fully paying off the loan balance ($485,743 at that time) by December 31, 2024. The response to this campaign was resulted in the retirement of the debt in just over two years.

The Lawson Center Boat Museum is a museum as well as a venue for meetings and special events. The museum has often donated the use of its event space to not-for-profit organizations, community-based service groups and government-affiliated entities for their various functions.