Anyway, museums are often treasure-troves, with their collection of artifacts and eagerness to invite people
to explore what's around them.
Websites and social media have made
finding these places even easier - your GPS on your phone or in your car might
even have a function that pulls up all the museums and heritage spots that are
nearby. It's so easy and convenient, you might wonder why it is that you can't
find more of them now than if you were searching for them, maybe ten years ago.
Here's how you can help make these hidden gems sparkle!
The easiest way to help hidden gems is to support them with your admission fees. Not every gem is free just because they’re educational or a non-profit. “Your
support directly helps us achieve our mission” signs do literally
mean we’re grateful that you help us splurge and turn the lights on, have
running water, and maybe even the luxury of air conditioning. Having "Museum" in the title does not mean that these sites receive public funds like a public school does. Admission fees are vital towards making sure small sites can actually open their doors to visitors.
Volunteer
Often these gems nestled back from the main
roads are actually PRIVATE organizations (so your taxes aren't
being shared with these gems) that are created by forward-thinking residents
with a focus on preserving their history and heritage. They operate either
entirely or mostly on volunteer time and efforts from everything between giving
tours to scrubbing the toilets.
Become A Member
Even if you know you can't visit often or just not able to volunteer (or don't want to make that commitment), memberships can offer monetary support AND you get notifications on what's going on at these sites. It's like your coffee club card, but for historical exhibits, events and programs!
Follow & Share On Social Media
Hidden gems don't want to be too hidden. The struggle is very real with getting awareness out on a virtually non-existent budget. Spread the word and show off your visit to these sties to not only keep your memories of the place, but encourage others to come and make their own!
Donations
Nobody likes a choosing begger. Especially one that continues to ask for more and more. However, donations help small museums and historic sites with the struggle against 3 potentially operation-ending assumptions about them.
Assumption 1:
These kinds of sites are always guaranteed money from my tax dollars. Donations are really "extra" money from me that just line somebody's pockets. It's a non-profit after all - it's supposed to struggle or it's actually for-profit!
No! So very, very much no! All of those "profits" at historical and educational sites go directly towards programs, facility care for visitors' consideration, exhibits, and daily operating expenses. Even non-profits have to pay property, utility, sewer and all of those pesky bills that you do. So what does being a tax-exempt organization actually mean? No federal income tax or state sales tax.
Assumption 2:
There must be somebody taking care of things. They really only ask for support because they want more money or whoever's supposed to be doing things just doesn't want to do their job.
So, while taking a vacation sounds wonderful -as does being offered some extra much-needed- this is another no. Truthfully, if a small museum or historic site is lucky, there might be 1 part-time staff. As you can imagine, that means wearing many, many work hats as the sole person at the site every day. Which, no matter the size of the gem, can be a hefty set of tasks that needs a hand year-round from volunteers like you!
Assumption 3 - The Most Dangerous Assumption:
It's not like they're going anywhere if I don't manage to visit or help out. It'll still be there next year.
A hidden gem is totally, completely, utterly, absolutely reliant on YOU to keep it around! The hard reality is that not even being labeled as "historic" marks a gem safe from closure, repurposing, or demolition for many of these small museum and historic sites.
For the WHMCC, it became a museum after it had been an apartment building that was sold off and slated for demolition to make way for another supermarket. It was only thanks to quick thinking and scrambling by local residents that it was saved. It can just as easily go bankrupt and be sold off to be turned into apartments or something else once again. Its collection would then be parceled out to other organizations or be sold off to pay any final expenses. There is no guarantee, not even in National Historic Districts, that things will stay exactly the same as you imagine them to be.
This isn't meant to sound as alarmist as it might read, but it should act as a reminder that these hidden gems need YOU to help keep them around. Visit these gems help to preserve and share the history of their area. Often, even the smallest site has so many things packed inside on its walls and with its objects. Or, you learn something you'd never even think of just by talking with someone there!
These kinds of gems usually do their utmost to find ways to incorporate other points of interest to help broaden and diversify the stories they share, which creates a fulfilling experience and has the added benefit of finding more places to explore!
Hidden gems that really shine can help disprove the mindset of "I can just google it". They help encourage visitors to do more digging and maybe help excavate and polish another great gem.
Hidden gems don't want to be too hidden. The struggle is very real with getting awareness out on a virtually non-existent budget. Spread the word and show off your visit to these sties to not only keep your memories of the place, but encourage others to come and make their own!
Donations
Nobody likes a choosing begger. Especially one that continues to ask for more and more. However, donations help small museums and historic sites with the struggle against 3 potentially operation-ending assumptions about them.
These kinds of sites are always guaranteed money from my tax dollars. Donations are really "extra" money from me that just line somebody's pockets. It's a non-profit after all - it's supposed to struggle or it's actually for-profit!
No! So very, very much no! All of those "profits" at historical and educational sites go directly towards programs, facility care for visitors' consideration, exhibits, and daily operating expenses. Even non-profits have to pay property, utility, sewer and all of those pesky bills that you do. So what does being a tax-exempt organization actually mean? No federal income tax or state sales tax.
Assumption 2:
There must be somebody taking care of things. They really only ask for support because they want more money or whoever's supposed to be doing things just doesn't want to do their job.
So, while taking a vacation sounds wonderful -as does being offered some extra much-needed- this is another no. Truthfully, if a small museum or historic site is lucky, there might be 1 part-time staff. As you can imagine, that means wearing many, many work hats as the sole person at the site every day. Which, no matter the size of the gem, can be a hefty set of tasks that needs a hand year-round from volunteers like you!
Assumption 3 - The Most Dangerous Assumption:
A hidden gem is totally, completely, utterly, absolutely reliant on YOU to keep it around! The hard reality is that not even being labeled as "historic" marks a gem safe from closure, repurposing, or demolition for many of these small museum and historic sites.
This isn't meant to sound as alarmist as it might read, but it should act as a reminder that these hidden gems need YOU to help keep them around. Visit these gems help to preserve and share the history of their area. Often, even the smallest site has so many things packed inside on its walls and with its objects. Or, you learn something you'd never even think of just by talking with someone there!
These kinds of gems usually do their utmost to find ways to incorporate other points of interest to help broaden and diversify the stories they share, which creates a fulfilling experience and has the added benefit of finding more places to explore!
Hidden gems that really shine can help disprove the mindset of "I can just google it". They help encourage visitors to do more digging and maybe help excavate and polish another great gem.
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