Riley County museums to close for exhibit installation; new archives curator announced

The Riley County museums and archives will close to the public for exhibit installation between Dec. 24 and mid-February, county museum staff told commissioners at the Dec. 9 meeting. Museum leaders said the Kansas Historical Society conducted an inventory of the Goodnow House in November — the first full inventory since 2019 — and staff are using the downtime to complete exhibit work and building upgrades.

"We will be closed to the public for tours between December 24th and January 24th as we install new exhibits," the museum report said; staff later clarified the public reopening will be in mid-February once electrical and exhibit work is complete. Commissioners gave consensus to the two-week extension staff requested beyond the initial timeline.

Museum staff also reported that a candidate, Carolyn Behrens of St. Paul, Florida, accepted the archives and curator position with a tentative start date of Monday, Jan. 6. The museum director said Behrens holds a BA in history and an MA in museum and artifacts studies; the museum received 90 applications for the position and the team ran a recruiting and review process that included volunteers and as-needed staff for research requests while the curator position was vacant.

Staff said work will continue on building repairs — including door and window restoration at Goodnow House funded in part by the Kansas Historical Society and foundation grants — and on lighting and HVAC improvements in galleries and storage. The museum also plans to close Dec. 24 through Feb. 15 for the installation window; staff will release public messaging once contractor timelines are finalized.

Commissioners did not record a vote on the closure or hire; they expressed support and asked staff to notify the public and proceed with the installation schedule and onboarding for the new curator.