Wildwood Historical Society describes Hankin House museum, unsuccessful National Register bid and volunteer programs

The Wildwood Historical Society described its Hankin House property, museum operations and outreach activities and urged residents to use the society's resources to research property histories.

Linda Hartkamp, president of the Wildwood Historical Society, said the society owns the Hankin House and an adjacent meeting hall (the former chicken coop) and maintains a museum and archive near Stovall's on Highway 100. Hartkamp said the group tried to secure National Register listing for the Hankin House but the National Park Service declined the nomination, citing exterior alterations made in the 1930s and 1950s that changed the house's historic appearance.

Hartkamp said the Hankin House property includes part of an original Route 66 bridge abutment and that the society continues to collect oral histories, plat maps and photographs to help residents locate family and property histories. The society publishes an annual themed calendar with a story on each page; Hartkamp said copies were available at the open house and that the 2026 calendar theme will focus on Route 66 in Wildwood.

The society meets the third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in its meeting hall and offers museum visits by appointment; Hartkamp said volunteers will meet visitors and show materials during scheduled times. She said the society is a nonprofit and is still paying a mortgage on the property and that federal funding was a primary reason for pursuing National Register listing.

Hartkamp invited residents to contact the society for property research and said volunteers and members come from inside and outside Wildwood. The society also supports local exhibits and community events and encouraged interested residents to attend meetings and use archival resources.