Bart Barton of Smethport believes it is important to keep history alive – especially if, like him, you have had the chance to live through it. Barton and his father both worked on the preparations for the Apollo 11 launch in Florida in 1969.

Today, Barton uses his personal experience to bring history to others in a variety of ways, including giving informational lectures. He will give one of these presentations about the history of the moon landing at 7 p.m. Saturday at Smethport’s Hamlin Memorial Library to help celebrate the 55th anniversary of man’s first walk on the moon.

“What I am going to do is about an hour-long presentation with slides and photographs that I bring in and let people look through,” Barton said.

“I also bring a model rocket that I assemble as I am showing slideshow pictures, then after the rocket launches I take it apart to illustrate what parts are in the air at different times in the launch.”

Barton went into the U.S. Air Force in 1965, right out of high school. In early 1966 he can recall speaking on the phone with his father, Smethport native Bill Barton, who had just moved to Florida and accepted a job with Technicolor. At the time, the Kodak subsidiary was under contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He ended up working on the Gemini and Apollo missions.

“Dad was working in the photo lab and he would bring home these photographs because they were the first run photos,” Barton said.

“Lots of times when they would go through the machine they wouldn’t be right on the first printing and therefore they would have been thrown out otherwise.”

When Barton got out of the Air Force, he joined his father in Florida. His first job at the Kennedy Space Center was as an employee of ITT Federal Electric Corp. His job was twofold. He had to maintain the various countdown clocks and also help prepare and maintain the launch site cameras attached to the Launch Umbilical Tower. This tower is part of the Mobile Launch Platform, a large moveable steel structure that helps to stabilize a shuttle before launch, he explained.

“We had the contract for timing and countdown and if you look at any of the old footage you will see that there were countdown clocks all over the place,” Barton said.

“I had access to all the facilities at the Kennedy Space Center including astronaut quarters and training areas.”

Barton can recall working on the large clock on the forefront of the lot.

“It was so hot that summer that we could only work for about five minutes and then we would switch out,” Barton recalled.

On one special day, his work allowed Barton to take a peek into the space shuttle itself.

“One time, I went out to change the clock and I was allowed to stick my head right inside the capsule,” Barton said. “That was pretty cool — that is something I will never forget.”

Another aspect of Barton’s job was to maintain the cameras on the mobile launcher.

“We provided a timing pulse through a little neon lightbulb that would write a little pulse on the film to note the exact time an event took place,” Barton said.

“We had it right down to the nanosecond.”

Barton can remember a time when Apollo 12 got hit by lightning, causing an issue.

“I had to monitor the recorder and all of a sudden the recorder went right to flatline zero,” Barton said. “They got it up and working right away — probably somebody in the switch room fixed it — but for a minute there I was pretty nervous thinking something bad must have happened,” he said.

Barton worked at the Kennedy Space Center for several Apollo launches, and was there at the beginning of the shuttle program. He would work for several more companies before eventually settling back down in Coudersport. After moving home, he was approached by Eileen McKean and asked to fill an empty position on the McKean County Historical Society Board of Directors.

“I started helping out, just spending a little bit of time here doing more and more,” Barton said of its headquarters at 502 W. King St. in Smethport. “Now, I spend a lot of time here but we are really starting to make headway with several projects.”

Barton noted that the historical society has recently gotten a grant to help build a wheelchair ramp to the fire tower.

“This will be the first fire tower in Pennsylvania that is handicapped accessible,” Barton said.

The society is also restoring the sheriff’s apartment at the Old Jail Museum. Once the restoration is finished, the five-room apartment will feature a kitchen, dining room and even a medical room filled with historical objects.

“We are looking forward to bringing in things that aren’t currently on display and finding a home for them,” Barton said. “There are items out in the garage like an old dental chair and drill, a doctor’s examining table and several cabinets of medical instruments that will all go in the medical room.”

Barton recalled that the museum’s collection was originally started by just a few locals who felt that it was important to preserve history for generations to come. Currently, the museum houses hundreds of objects of historical value, including objects from the Bucktail Regiment and many more.

“I think it is extremely important to save these artifacts from our history,” Barton said.

“Hopefully we take lessons from our ancestors and expand on their knowledge so we don’t make the same mistakes that they did.”

Barton noted he thinks it is especially important to help out at the museum because they run entirely on donations, with the help of volunteers.

“We are always looking for more volunteers and we have tasks for all different skill levels,” Bart said. “We are also always in need of donations.”

Those interested in making a donation can do so directly at the museum.