Last year we had a visitor coin the Chariton County Historical Society & Museum the “Smithsonian of Missouri”. We don’t disagree—we are a truly priceless gem, but that also means that we’re filled to the brim with relics! We were recently able to purchase two empty lots adjacent to the current museum and are making plans to expand the building. the Board of Directors are asking for your support.
The Chariton County Historical Society was founded in November 1956 for the purpose of collecting, preserving and making available the history of Chariton County. We are a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization in good standing with the State of Missouri. We do not receive any tax support and rely on membership dues, donations, and fundraisers to meet our needs.
Our very active museum has been in its present location since 1977, is approximately 28,000 square feet and we are out of room. It is managed by a board of nine (9) directors and staffed by twelve (12) volunteers who greet and assist visitors Tuesdays through Saturdays. With a minimum of $185,000 we will be able to construct a 45’ x 90’ adjoining building on the two lots west of the present building to expand current exhibits and create new ones, as well as host more events and community activities. This is a huge undertaking for us and your donation of any amount will help us achieve our goal.
For our part we have held a very successful rummage sale and ice cream social, made fundraising efforts at county festivals , auctioned autographed photos of Darold Knowles, gathered donations at the flashlight scavenger hunt and candy cane hunt, and continue to make plans for future efforts. We are currently selling RADA cutlery (see page 10.) Members and visitors of CCHS have been very supportive and generous with their donations to this cause and at present we have $68,000 in our building expansion fund.
We love to make history come alive for our visitors who enjoy a walk back in time through an astonishing collection of artifacts, memorabilia, photographs, and documents, including a research library full of historical and genealogical resources and documentation. Last year in addition to our quarterly programs, we had over 700 visitors, hosted the annual Flashlight Scavenger Hunt, the Candy Cane Hunt and christmas decoration tour, and assisted numerous researchers with finding their Chariton County roots. So far this year, we have held a jewelry art workshop, hosted 9 school field trips and the Boonville DAC and Salisbury Music Club meetings, had Wi-Fi installed throughout the museum to allow for QR codes at exhibits, had 11 years of county newspapers bound into books to add to our collection, added two iPad kiosks (one with a short video featuring the memories of Dalton Vocational School students and one with a welcome video and brief history of the historical society), and continue to receive many acquisitions to enrich the exhibits.
Please help us reach our goal and advance our mission to preserve more of Chariton County history for future generations. Checks can be made out to Chariton County Historical Society, Inc. and mailed to 115 E. 2nd Street PO Box 114 Salisbury, MO 65281. And remember that all donations are tax deductible. We appreciate all of you!
Thank you for your support!