Former workers at the old Nevamar facility are encouraged to come out for a special open house at the Odenton Heritage Society’s museum this weekend. 

The society is expected to have artifacts on display from the plastic tile manufacturing plant, which closed in 2003 but once employed hundreds of local residents. Former workers have been asked to come and share whatever artifacts and memories they have.

The open house will be on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Odenton Heritage Society Historical Center at 1367 Odenton Rd.

President of the heritage society Roger White said there are already a number of artifacts on display at the museum, including a wealth of photographs, uniforms from the company’s baseball and bowling teams and special art work. But he said he knows there are plenty of other artifacts and memories out there.

“We’d love for the alumni to come out and share their stories and their memorabilia,” he said. “There are things in peoples homes, in people's closets … we’d just love to get our hands on it.”

Recently, former Nevamar workers held a reunion at Kaufmann’s Tavern, which White attended. He took note of the fact that former Nevamar employees worked there for many years, and that there was a strong bond among them.

“It really was a community in and of itself,” he said.

The Nevamar facility is in the process of being redeveloped. StonebridgeCarras and Bozzuto are currently demolishing one portion of the north side of the site to build an apartment project known as Flats 170 at Academy Yards. The rest of the site will eventually be redeveloped with a mix of homes and commercial space.