FRANKLIN, Kan. — Recently, Franklin’s Miners Hall Museum was recognized with a new statewide accolade and was chosen as one of five rural Kansas museums selected to participate in “History Makers: The Future is Now,” an innovative statewide strategic planning initiative from Humanities Kansas designed to help rural museums strengthen their long-term sustainability, relevance, and community impact.
Inspired by America's 250th anniversary, History Makers recognizes the importance of local history in telling America's stories. The Miners Hall Museum will participate in statewide and local meetings with Carla Patterson, a nonprofit cultural consultant specializing in rural museums, and create a plan with tools to address the needs ahead.
History Makers is a free, consultant-guided strategic planning opportunity that pairs participating museums with professional small-museum experts in a tailored, forward-thinking process that blends planning with action. Participants are encouraged to collaborate with local economic development, tourism, and community organizations; Miners Hall Museum will be working closely with Explore Crawford County as part of this effort.
The kickoff meeting took place in Lindsborg, a nationally recognized historic and cultural community, at the historic Sundstrom Conference Center.
“Their lovely community is rich with history,” said Bitner. “The downtown shopping area was stunning. We visited many of the shops during our stay and were greeted by gracious owners and hosts. They were genuinely glad to see us.”
As part of the kickoff meeting, each museum was asked to bring an object that tells a meaningful story about its work and mission. Miners Hall Museum shared a scale model of the historic Page 618 Walking Dragline, along with historic photographs of immigrant families and the Amazon Army, reflecting the powerful industrial, cultural, and social histories preserved at the museum.
Monday evening included a special presentation by award-winning National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson.
Day Two included workshops, panels, and guided discussions. Topics included strategic planning, museum sustainability, tourism partnerships, and collaborative community building. Carla Patterson, Patterson Consulting, presented the year-long schedule and began the session with a fast-paced and fun building activity.
A visit to Birger Sandzen Art Gallery (www.sandzen.org) was the next stop. A panel discussion was provided, which was followed by a guided tour of the gallery. Back to Sandstrom Conference Center for final presentations.
“What an exciting conference in Lindsborg, Kansas,” Bitner said of the two-day conference. “We look forward to working with our area community partners to create a working relationship to continue preserving our local history, creating educational opportunities, and sharing our story nationwide.”
This reporting is made possible, in part, by the Support Local Journalism Project Fund. Learn more at: southeastkansas.org/Localnews
