The Williamson County Historical Society Museum was visited on Thursday and Friday, the 21st and 22nd , as part of the museum’s continuing participation in the Museum Assessment Program called MAP. The museum was the recipient of a MAP grant early in the year and has been performing a self-assessment for the past three months. After that process was completed, it was to be followed up by a visit from a selected museum advisor who assesses the museum as a professional outsider.
The advisor assigned to the county museum was Lisa Chastain, assistant director of the Missouri State Museum which is located on the bottom floor of the capitol building in Jefferson City, Missouri. Chastain arrived Thursday Morning and followed a pre-agreed upon agenda designed to interview museum workers and board members. She also took two tours of the museum, one guided and one unguided and had group discussions with volunteers and board members to discuss various museum methods and procedures.
A dinner meal was held at Bennie’s Restaurant on N. Market in Marion on Thursday evening in which board members and volunteers were able to chat with Chastain and learn of her experiences working with a state museum and smaller museums prior to that assignment.
The assessment was completed on Thursday afternoon and Chastain returned home. She will submit a report of her suggestions on any recommended procedures or changes that she feels the museum will benefit from implementing.
The MAP grant project is being chaired by volunteer and WCHS member, Dr. Ann Gammon. Participating in the MAP program were board members, Colleen Norman, Dolores Thetford, Clyde Bailey, Bob Jackson, Helen Lind and Sam Lattuca. Community members Patty Lynn and Connie Baker served on the assessment team to get a local perspective from someone not directly involved with the museum.
SI Treasure Tours who brought you the “Herrin Massacre Tours” of 2014 have increased their tour capabilities this year and recently began the season with one of their new tours. The “Two Wars of the 20’s Tour” kicked off this season last Saturday, May 16, 2015.
The tour started at the Williamson County Historical Society Museum and was attended by about 24 people. Local historian and author Jon Musgrave narrated the tour alongside author Ruthie Shelton. The bus tour’s route included points of interest in Herrin, Benton, Harrisburg and points in between.
The tour ended back at the museum where tourists were able to investigate the museum as well as ask questions and purchase local history books from both authors Musgrave and Shelton.
For more information on the tours, contact “SI Treasure Tours.”
Ninety Marion fifth grade students took a walk into the past on Thursday May 14th. The students were accompanied by about 10 teachers and parents. The visit was part of Washington school teacher Rosy Gribble’s efforts to teach the students about local history. Gribble arranges the tour for her students each year to expose the children to how local citizens have lived their lives throughout the county’s history.
The museum allows students to see how people have entertained themselves over time as well as experiencing what the inside of a jail cell is like, what turn of the century stores looked like and how people dressed.
