Preserving the Old, Building the New

Raised $8,014.00 Towards the Goal of $70,000.00

Project Wrap Up

We raised around $8,000 from Big Give Gage last year. We also recieved another $15,800. Which meant that we were able to redo windowsills, door and window tracks, add an eave over the barn door to keep the rain from coming inside, and a refresh of paint. We will have a mason contractor schedule to do the mason work sometime in August. Now we just have to raise money for the Outdoor Classroom. We have five small fundraisers within the next year to get this done. If you are interested in helping us finish raising the money for the outdoor classroom, please send a check to the Gage County Historical Society marked for Filley Stone Barn. 

Project Details

^{“The mission of the Gage County Historical Society is to preserve, interpret, and showcase the unique history of Gage County by connecting our stories to develop appreciation throughout the wider community.”}

^{The Filley Stone Barn has seen over 145 years of the Nebraska weather. It is the tallest stone barn in the state and is on the National Register of Historical Places. Because of its importance to our community and to the state as a symbol of early agriculture and homesteading, we supply the ongoing preservation. We are also responsible to interpret and highlight the history of the barn through educational programs and events. An outdoor space needed to fulfill this mission, so we are building the Cottage Hill Farm Outdoor Classroom. Having an outdoor classroom will allow you to create more space to spread out program attendees, create variation in teaching forms, provide a much-needed break from the elements, and provide the opportunity to experience farm life.}

^{Condition of the Barn}

^{The Filley Stone Barn has a crack on the northwest corner, damaged mortar, and buildup of lime and calcium deposits on the stone. The bottom window wells need to be redone, and we have some windows and doors that need attention. Otherwise, water can seep in causing more issues to the limestone. This ongoing preservation is essential to this lasting historical site.} 

^{We would like to build the Cottage Hill Farm Outdoor Classroom so that it is 20X40 with the seating capacity of 48-50. It will have a pitched roof like the design of the barn to provide shade for the attendees to our programs. It will incorporate electricity into the outdoor space for late night events and electrical machinery that we might want to demonstrate on site. This outdoor classroom will be available all year long.} 

Conserve 1965 Painting of Historic Lang Building

Raised $2,105.00 Towards the Goal of $3,000.00

Project Wrap Up

We were able to supply the additional $895 from our fiscal budget to complete the restoration of this painting. The painting is on display next to the Lang Grocery exhibit. 

Project Details

During this year’s Big Give, the Gage County Historical Society & Museum is asking for donations for the conservation of a painting of the corner of 6th and Ella in downtown Beatrice. The painting has been on display for years and it has developed some major conservation issues.

The 40x28 inch acrylic painting was created by Earl Harris Jr. in 1965. The 1907 Lang grocery building (now owned by the Ratigan family) is prominantly featured in the painting. 

Our goal this year is to raise $3000 to cover the cost to conserve this painting, preserving it for future generations.

How GCHS will use the funds raised during the Big Give:

The painting will be conserved at the Ford Conservation Center in Omaha, Nebraska. During the intial conservation appraisal, the condition of the painting is reported as having "a serious and severe problem of cleavage of the upper layer of paint from the lower one (possibly an earlier composition)..."

What the Ford Conservation Center will do during the conservation process:

· Document the condition of the painting before and after treatment

· Adhere the upper layer of paint flaking from the lower one

·  Retouch areas where paint has been lost

·  Secure the painting with new hardware and add a protective backing

·  Provide long-term care recommendations

The funds raised today with your generous support will be used to conserve this painting. Any additional funds raised will go to caring for the collections at the museum. All gifts are appreciated, whether large or small. Thank you for supporting our history!

How to Donate:

1. Online on this website during the BigGiveGage Day on September 10.

2. Check can also be given directly to the Gage County Museum.  Make checks payable to the Gage County Foundation and write Gage County Museum- BigGiveGage in the memo. Checks can be dropped off in person through September 10th, Wednesday-Saturday at the Gage County Museum from 10 am - 4 pm. You can also mail to: Gage County Museum | P.O. Box 793 | Beatrice, NE 68310

3. Drop off your donation at the nonprofit fair in Vintage Venue (620 Court) on September 10th.

Update on 2020 Big Give Project: Oral Histories

Last year’s funds were used to implement an oral history program at the museum including the purchase of audio recorders, creating procedures of how to do oral histories, creating transcripts of the interviews. The interviews were used to help make the 2021 summer exhibit “Firm Foundations” and have been used in newsletter articles.

The Community Archives Project - Phase Two:

Raised $1,635.00 Towards the Goal of $6,000.00

Project Wrap Up

We were able to use this money to begin demolition on the restrooms inside the Layman room where the community archives room will be. We were able to get a grant to begin on phase 2 of our project. If you want to know about our progress on the community archives room, please contact the museum. 

Project Details

During this year’s Big Give, the Gage County Historical Society & Museum is asking for donations for the second phase of the Community Archives Project. 

Last year, your donations were used to update an archival storage area at the museum. We are happy to announce that the project is currently underway! The renovations planned for this archival storage area should be complete by early 2021.

This year, your generous support will go toward funding Phase Two of the Community Archives Project: Oral Histories. The money raised during this year’s Big Give Gage will be used to:

• Train staff and volunteers how to conduct oral histories about the history of the Gage County Historical Society and our local communities.
• Purchase recording equipment and any equipment necessary to incorporate oral histories in exhibits.
• Cover costs to transcribe oral histories. The transcripts and digital recordings will be kept in the community archives for future research.
• Create an exhibit celebrating the Society’s 50th anniversary that will be on display June-September 2021.

The funds raised today with your generous support will be used to sustain and continue this project. All gifts are appreciated, whether large or small. Thank you for supporting our history!

How to Show Support:

The funds raised with your generous support will be used to sustain and continue this project. All gifts are appreciated, whether large or small. Thank you for supporting our history!

If you would like to make a donation to our project, you can do so in two ways:

1. Online on this website during the BigGiveGage Day on September 10.

2. By check given directly to the Gage County Museum.  Make checks payable to the Gage County Foundation and write Gage County Museum- BigGiveGage in the memo.

Checks can be dropped off in person through September 10th, Wednesday-Saturday at the Gage County Museum from 10 am - 4 pm. You can also mail to:

Gage County Museum | P.O. Box 793 | Beatrice, NE 68310

What is the Community Archives Project?

The Community Archives Project is an effort to actively promote the telling, sharing, and preservation of our local history through documents, photographs, and stories collected by the community.

What is an archive, and why is it important?

An archive is a collection of historical documents or records providing information about a place, institution, or group of people. Archives are an important link to our past, and help us to understand our history. The materials contained in an archive provide information that connects us to the lives of people and places in our past. They tell stories. They also increase our sense of identity and understanding of cultures and communities around us.

Project goals:

The overall goal of this multi-phase project is to make archival material in the county accessible to a wider range of people, bring awareness to how institutional archives work, and support local history keepers by providing information about how to preserve and share their own history.

Our challenges:

The archive at the Gage County Museum contains hundreds of photographs, photograph negatives, manuscripts, letters, diaries, court documents, business records, land records, and many other records that help tell the story of Gage County’s history. Unfortunately, only a fraction of the archive is easily accessible and available to the public. We are working to change this with your support!

The Community Archives Project

Raised $2,420.00 Towards the Goal of $6,000.00

Project Wrap Up

We were able to use this money to begin demolition on the restrooms inside the Layman room where the community archives room will be. We were able to get a grant to begin on phase 2 of our project. If you want to know about our progress on the community archives room, please contact the museum.

Project Details

The Community Archives Project is an effort to actively promote the telling, sharing, and preserving of our local history through documents and photographs collected by the community.

What is an archive, and why is it important?

An archive is a collection of historical documents or records providing information about a place, institution, or group of people. Archives are an important link to our past, and help us to understand our history. The documents and photographs contained in an archive provide information that connects us to the lives of people and places in our past. They tell stories. They also increase our sense of identity and understanding of cultures and communities around us.

Project goals:

The overall goal of this multi-phase project is to make archival material in the county accessible to a wider range of people, bring awareness to how institutional archives work, and support local history keepers by providing information about how to preserve and share their own history.

Our challenges:

The archive at the Gage County Museum contains hundreds of photographs, photograph negatives, manuscripts, letters, diaries, court documents, business records, land records, and many other records that help tell the story of Gage County’s history. Unfortunately, only a fraction of the archive is easily accessible and available to the public.

Limited storage: Storage space is limited, which means archival material is stored in several locations throughout the museum. This makes it difficult to quickly find archival material when it is requested by a patron. Lack of space also limits the amount of archival material the museum can collect and preserve. Remodeling existing storage areas at the museum will allow easier access to archival material, and provide more storage space to expand the archive.

Digitization: Only a small portion of the archive has been digitized. Digitizing popular research material from the museum archive would allow online research and improve public access.

Increasing Awareness: Finding information in an archive can be overwhelming without guidance. Currently, the Museum’s archive does not have finding aids to help patrons easily find information within the archive. A more user-friendly archive would make the sharing of historic information easier. (And more fun!)

How your donation will help:

Our goal for this Big Give is to raise $6,000 to kick-start the fundraising effort for the Community Archives Project.

Donations will be used to:

• Cover the construction costs to remodel an existing archival storage area at the museum
• Purchase space-saving movable shelving for the archives
• Fund digitization efforts to make more of Gage County’s history available online
• Fund programs designed to help teach the community how to preserve, share, and appreciate our local history

The funds raised today with your generous support will be used as the foundation to start this project. All gifts are appreciated, whether large or small. Thank you for supporting our history!