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Dickinson County Historical Society asks commission to keep $70,000 annual support, seek help with rising insurance
Summary
The Dickinson County Historical Society presented its completed Heritage Hall and asked the county to continue its usual funding of $70,000 for 2026 and to assist with a roughly $10,000 insurance increase tied to the new building and archived county records.
Austin Andrews, representing the Dickinson County Historical Society, told the Dickinson County Commission that Heritage Hall — a yearlong volunteer-driven addition to the society’s museum complex — is complete and open to the public.
Andrews said the society will seek its customary $70,000 annual county contribution for 2026 and asked the commission for help covering an approximately $10,000 increase in insurance tied to the new building and its role as the repository for county records. “We had a $10,000 increase in our insurance,” Andrews said, and “we're gonna ask for our annual 70,000 plus a little bit of help, towards the covered cost of insurance.”
The society described Heritage Hall as the product of a mix of volunteer labor and paid work. Andrews said a contractor’s turnkey bid several years ago was in the $219,000–$250,000 range, and that the volunteer work completed the project at a substantially lower expense; he estimated that, with current prices, a similar turnkey contract might approach $300,000. He said the new space provides extra restrooms and meeting capacity for school groups, Pioneer camp events and local rentals, and that the hall’s capacity is 85 people.
Andrews said the society already has bookings: a graduation scheduled for the coming Saturday and three renters confirmed, plus use for the society’s programs such as “Pioneer camp” and winter classes. He reported that school tours are down this year compared with 2024 — from about 17 schools last year to eight this year — a trend he attributed in part to broader financial constraints affecting school field trips.
County commissioners asked questions about the building’s cost, usage and the society’s stewardship of county records. Andrews noted that the society maintains a vault that stores county tax and court records and described the vault as a tornado-resistant concrete structure built in 1985. The society said the vault draws regular public use from residents and officials seeking historic documents.
Commissioners present voiced general support for the society’s budget request and for site visits. One commissioner said, “I don't see an issue with your guys' budget this year,” and several encouraged commissioners to visit the facility as part of annual oversight.
The society also described additional attractions in development — a donated toy collection to be displayed in a newly built outbuilding, a planned open house this fall and a mural being installed on the museum’s west wall — all intended to increase repeat visitation and revenue.
No formal county funding decision was made at the meeting; commissioners indicated they would review the society’s request as part of the upcoming budget process.
