A modest proposal for that stimulus check
J. Greg Jordan - Executive Director of Lyon County Historical Society
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
HAVE YOU BEEN wondering what to do with your Federal Government tax Rebate? Please consider donating some of this newfound money to your Lyon County Historical Society/Museum.
2007 was an historic year for the Lyon County Historical Society. This was the 70th anniversary of our founding. 2007 was also the 150th anniversary of the founding of Emporia. The year was filled with events celebrating Emporia and Emporians. The historical society did our part in all of this; from participation on all of the committees, to research, to physical labor, to event creation and sponsorship. Over 50,000 people participated in historical society events and programs for the year. The Lyon County Historical Society is significant to this area. We are the only organization actively engaged in the preservation and exploration of the history of this area.
The Lyon County Historical Society maintains three separate yet distinctive properties. The museum is located at 118 East 6th Avenue. This 1904-built Carnegie library, although beautiful and historic, is inadequate in size for the volume of our collections (150,000+). Additionally, the building is in a serious state of disrepair. Even though this building is owned by the City of Emporia, it has spent very little in maintaining it. In the 27 years in which the historical society has occupied this building, we have put over $200,000 into remodeling and upkeep. The Archives Building, located at 225 East 6th Avenue, is owned by the Lyon County Historical Society. This building serves as the repository of historic records (1,000,000+) involving the people and events that have shaped Lyon County, Kansas. The historic Richard Howe Farmstead, located at 315 East Logan Avenue, was given to the historical society for the sole purpose of providing the public with an opportunity to see living history. The house was built in 1862 and remains the only example of everyday life from that time in this area.
The Lyon County Historical Society helps create a vibrant, energized learning community. Our achievement as individuals and our success as a democratic society depend on learning continually, adapting to change readily, and evaluating information critically. As stewards of cultural heritage, information and ideas, the Lyon County Historical Society offers the public unprecedented access and expertise in transforming information overload into knowledge. Our role at the historical society is to provide leadership in creating a center of learning for life crucial to achieving personal fulfillment, a productive workforce and an engaged citizenry.
The Lyon County Historical Society does not exist for economic reasons. Rather, we are a source of information about the past; we provide this area with an appreciation of our culture and we are an enjoyable place to spend time, contemplating the past and those who shaped and formed this part of the world. The importance of the Lyon County Historical Society is in direct proportion to the service we render, that is, the emotional and intellectual life of the people of this area. This is not a traditional measure of economic output by an organization and even though we are not thought of as an economic entity, we do provide important economic benefits to this area, such as: While in this area to visit the Museum, Archives, or Howe House, out-of-town tourists spend money at local restaurants, motels, stores, gas stations, and the museum gift shop. The purchases made with local merchants, as well as sales tax revenues, are significant. In 2007, the Historical Museum had 14,000 visitors. 35 percent of those visitors were from outside Lyon County.
The Lyon County Historical Society receives an apportionment from Lyon County each year. These funds are used for salaries and utilities. Because our funding from the county has not kept pace with inflation, we find ourselves further and further behind in our efforts to keep and attract qualified staff members and keep them employed with a competitive rate of pay. Funding for every other aspect of the historical society comes from memberships in the society, interest income from our investments, donations, and grants. We receive no funding from the City of Emporia, despite the fact that we occupy a city owned building and 65 percent of our yearly visitors live in Emporia.
Please consider a donation to the Lyon County Historical Society because if we fail our mission of preserving history, then we all fail. History that is lost is lost forever and it affects everyone. History that is preserved benefits everyone now and for the future.
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