By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Ellis County Historical Society has worked to reassemble and assess its collection with an eye on placing temporary displays in the community.
Ellis County Historical Society Liason Brad Ricke gave a report to the Ellis County Commission on Monday.
Volunteers have moved all of the artifacts that had been stored in the Hays Daily News building back to its campus at Main and Seventh streets in Hays. The Daily News building had developed leaks in the roof and was no longer suitable to store the items.
Ricke said it has been important for the historical society board and staff to see all the items the society owns.
About 400 volunteer hours were involved in the move.
Items that were rediscovered included clothing; typewriters; antique chairs; the Hays City Meat Wagon, which is now on display at Big Creek Crossing; a Hays diorama that was once on display at the historic Fort Hays; Native American artifacts, furniture from the Bissing house; and historical items that were formerly held by the Sternberg Museum.
The Big Creek Crossing exhibit is titled "From the Deep."
In addition to Big Creek Crossing, the society plans to mount temporary satellite exhibits at the Ellis Railroad Museum, Ellis Law Enforcement Center, Carrico Implement and Hays Water Resources Department.
Ricke asked the commissioners if the society could also place a historical display at the Ellis County Administration building. The commission approved. Ricke said the society would present several possible ideas to the county that the society thought might be relevant to the building and offices housed in it.
The society also hopes to place displays in the county's smaller communities, including Catharine, Victoria, Munjor and Pfeifer.
The society will be disposing of old court records, which have already been digitized, to make room for more items to be stored in the red-brick former church building on Seventh Street.
Commissioner Butch Schlyer asked the society presenters when they thought the society might be able to open the brick church to the public again.
Pricilla Hunt, society board president, said the brick church is not handicap accessible, and to bring it up to modern standards is going to be costly.
The fire station, harness shop and Volga German home at the Seventh and Main campus are still available for tours. The stone church could also be made available for tours. The fire station has a restroom.
"It would be nice if we had another permanent place downtown or in the vicinity to have all of our stuff together," Hunt said, "but it's going to take time, and it's going to take some money.
"All of us have been at this since March only."
Ricke added, "We are going to get that answer, but we want to get to the right answer."
Ricke detailed other behind-the-scenes work that has been ongoing at the society.
The society replaced the roof on the stone church to prevent water damage. The security system was brought back online. Repairs were made to the main building's HVAC system, and the society had the ducts cleaned in its temporary storage building.
Both county and city officials have criticized the society in the past for its lack of fundraising.
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The society has organized a committee to host a 50th anniversary celebration for the society. It will be Nov. 7 at the Seventh Street campus and include speakers, gunfighters, a barn dance and a raffle of commemorative firearms.
A committee has also been formed whose members will participate in the 2021 Hays Oktoberfest.
The society's membership forms have been revised, and a membership drive is underway.
The society is trying to secure more copies of "At Home in Ellis County — Volume 1," to sell to patrons.
The interim director, Amanda Rupp, as well as some board members, are enrolled in the Dane G. Hansen Foundation "How to Funraise" online courses offered this month.
Rupp is at the beginning stages of coordinating a project with local high school students on the impact of the 2020 pandemic on Ellis County youth.
She also hopes to further utilize interns from Fort Hays State University and volunteers in the society's work.
Ricke praised Rupp's work thus far, noting the society's Facebook engagements have jumped 200 percent. The society is also working on a new website.
The society also moved all of its bookkeeping to QuickBooks nonprofit software.
The commissioners said they were pleased with the society's progress. After initially requiring the society to make monthly updates to the commission after approving its 2022 funding, Commissioner Dean Haselhorst suggested those reports could be reduced to every other month.