The Citizen, 2008-08-21, Page 18History doesn’t stop. Each today
soon becomes a yesterday and those
yesterdays, and the tangible items
that are part of them are added to
that history.
Since 1950, the Huron County
Museum has been preserving and
collecting the area’s past. The begin-
ning dates to 1948 when Joseph
Herbert Neill sold his collection to
the county for an average price of $1
per item with two stipulations, that
they establish a public museum and
that he be curator.
During his 15-year tenure there,
Neill continued to build on the
exhibits and add to the site. Then the
county undertook a major re-
development beginning in the late
1980s, adding more space.
But now, with no more room on
site to grow, and the artifacts fill-
ing every available storage space,
the county has decided to hire a
consultant to assess the
Museum’s collection capacity and
the space needs for preserving the
collection. The cost is estimated at
$50,000.
“We’re full,” said director of cul-
tural services Beth Ross. “There is
no storage space left anymore and
we are looking at different options.”
Ross said that 20 years ago items
were put in temporary storage at the
airport with the idea that they would
be brought back to the main museum
after the work was done. “It’s still
full of artifacts,” she said, adding
that the building doesn’t meet envi-
ronmental standards for museums.
“It’s not heated, not air-conditioned.
Basically the items are out of the ele-
ments, protected from the rain and
snow, locked up, but that’s about it.”
Other items, which were stored on
the second floor of the assessment
building until recently, have been
moved to the basement of the Jacob
Memorial Building in Clinton. This
too, does not meet standards.
Compounding the situation is that
items continue to be added to the
collection. And should be. A recent
donation, from the widow of a for-
mer resident, included archival items
such as artwork of Brussels
streetscape. “We were fortunate this
was all small and very important to
Huron, so we were able to accept it.”
Unfortuantely, this is not always
feasible. “We have had offers of
farm machinery artifacts that we
have had to turn down because we
just don’t have the space.”
Anything that they may be able to
fit in has to be something that tells
Huron’s story. “We try now to make
sure that what we bring in is what we
want to collect, that everything has a
direct connection to Huron. We need
to ensure that what we have is what
is mandated.”
The primary portion of that man-
date is for preservation of the coun-
ty’s history, meaning that the storage
issues need to be addressed.
“Keeping the story is the first part,
telling it, through exhibits, is the sec-
ond part.”
“We have exhibit space in both
permanent galleries,” said Ross.
“Then there is temporary exhibit
space where we bring in travelling
exhibits or build our own.”
“The storage part is the part that
the public doesn’t see, what is used
to create those exhibits.”
There is an on-going assessment
done at the Museum, said Ross.
However, it’s possible that there are
still items taking up space which
may not be worth keeping. This is
the type of issue that will be
covered with the consultant’s
review. “It’s only responsible to
the taxpayers that we make sure
we really do need space and are
using it efficiently.”
While what kind of recom-
mendations may come from the
study aren’t certain, Ross said there
are some options that have been pre-
sented for consideration. One possi-
bility is finding different kinds of
shelving and storage systems for the
existing storage space.
The option of separate curatorial
and exhibit space will also be looked
at. “We can’t expand any more on
this property. We could use this site
for exhibit space only, and have a
separate facility for storage.”
An “out-of-the-box” option would
be a distribution or branch model.
“The collections could be spreadaround the county at other museums,such as an agricultural museum inone area and a marine and industrialone in another. That, I think wouldbe a long-term development, howev-
er, and it’s a bit of a leap.”
While Ross has identified some
points for the consultant, the public
will also be involved, she promised,
“There will be opportunity for
public consultation. There are also
stakeholders, such as North Huron,
that we need to work with. Are they
interested in sharing. There are his-
torical societies, heritage commit-
tees, individuals that we know may
in the future be interested in dona-
tion items. It is important they are
involved in the planning process.”
Ross goes on to say that the cul-
tural plan that came out this yearidenitified the Museum as a heritageleader. “So we need to make sure welead co-operatively.”Ross said she hopes to have a planin place over the next year, but has
no estimate when implementation
may occur.
However, she feels that by being
prepared there may be some assis-
tance for them in the future. “The
province has a track record for mak-
ing infrastructure funding available
on short notice for ready projects.”
The Guelph museum, she said had
a plan in place when funding was
announced and received $5 million
as a result.
“If you know what you want and
are ready to go it may make some-
thing happen.”
PAGE 18. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2008.
Tight spaces
Director of cultural services Beth Ross stands in the over-crowded storage space at the Huron
County Museum. The county is undertaking a study to determine needs and solutions. (Bonnie
Gropp photo)
History piling up at Huron County Museum
No room
Every available bit of storage space at the Huron County
Museum is filled floor to ceiling with artifacts and collec-
tions. With its mandate to preserve, not just exhibit the
county’s history, there’re not many of these items that can
be purged. (Bonnie Gropp photo)
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
Keeping the story
the first part
of Museum mandate