At the St. Charles History Museum, we take great pride in what we do. We are the keepers of over 185 years of amazing history regarding St. Charles and our surrounding areas. As a community museum, we share the stories of the hopes, dreams, thoughts and accomplishments of everyone who has come before us as we build our collective future together.
However, we can’t do it alone. We depend on the generous support of our community to fund nearly 75% of our operating budget every year.
Our collection and archives consist of nearly 10,000 items and 15,000 photographs from every chapter of St. Charles history, including items and artifacts from the earliest settlers and native tribes dating to the early 1800s, not to mention slides, film reels, and VHS tapes documenting the building of St. Charles to present day.
Every object in our archive, right down to each individual photograph, must be meticulously cared for to ensure that they can be shared with future generations.
Caring for these objects requires a well-trained staff and dedicated team of volunteers equipped with a wide range of equipment so that these stories can be explored and shared generations from now. This equipment can be costly and hard to obtain for a small organization like ours.
Here are some examples of what it takes to properly care for a well-run museum archive:
Archival newspaper boxes: $20.85 each (each holds 1-3 newspapers)
Archival Letter Document Box: $26.65
Archival Legal Document Box: $30.75
Book and Artifact Display Pillow (used for fragile artifacts): $47.49
Archival Polyester Sleeves for photos: $15.99 per package
Archival Polyester Sleeves for documents: $19.25 per package
Artifact display cases: start at $1,549
As you can see, it can be easy for the costs to quickly accumulate for our museum. This list does not even include everyday recurring costs like office supplies, technology, and staff payroll.
This year, museums and non-profits like us have been hit especially hard as revenue-generating events have been canceled and donations have dropped off.
A donation, no matter how big or small, will go a long way to help support us as we move into a new year of making history together. Please consider supporting the St. Charles History Museum this holiday season.
Thank you for your continued support St. Charles…history starts with you!
