Montgomery History outlines new museum campus, vault archive and wins one-time $15,000 for oral histories

Montgomery History executive director Matt Logan updated the joint committee about plans for a new Montgomery History Center centered at 4 Courthouse Square and a separate archives annex, and the committee approved a one-time $15,000 reconciliation item to sustain an oral-history contractor.

Logan told council members that the primary museum site will be the former M&T/Farmers Banking and Trust building at 4 Courthouse Square, an Art Deco landmark that survived 1960s urban renewal. "We're installing an elevator, fire suppression throughout the entire building, a lot of security," Logan said, and invited members to visit during construction. He said the organization also leased the entire fourth floor of the Grama Courthouse as a conservation and storage annex and aims to be moved in by June for a ribbon-cutting tied to the county's 250th anniversary on Sept. 6.

The update included fundraising and budget context. Miss Cummings, council staff, told the committee the historical activities NDA shows a $44,287 decrease (19.3%) from FY26 because last year's one-time enhancements for the 250th projects and the Black Resistance oral-history work were removed; the only recurring change is a 2.5% inflationary adjustment for non-service-provider contracts. Logan described capital goals of roughly $10 million (with a personal stretch goal nearer $12 million) and said Montgomery County has invested about $900,000 so far. He reported nearly $2 million in state bond support and roughly $4.3 million in private commitments, including "two seven-figure gifts and four six-figure gifts," but said additional fundraising remains necessary.

Logan emphasized programming tied to the new spaces: a history conference Nov. 7, expanded civic-education work with partners including the League of Women Voters, and a plan to configure the bank building as a hybrid museum/community space. He said the fourth-floor annex will not be open for general public access and will primarily serve conservation and staff functions, with small-group access for workshops.

A major focus was the oral-history work. Logan described the "Unfinished Revolution" and Black Resistance oral-history initiatives and said Adadonna Asherbe has been hired as the project contractor and has recorded about 14 oral histories so far from elders in communities affected by displacement. "Trust is everything," Logan said, arguing that modest, timely operating dollars would prevent momentum from being lost and preserve elders' testimony. He also noted plans to convert a vault in the bank building into an oral-history recording studio and said a well-known county native (identified in the transcript as Connie Chung) has agreed to associate her name with the project to aid outreach.

Councilmember Evans asked what minimum funding would sustain the work; Logan said even $15,000 to $20,000 would make an "incredible difference" to keep the contractor engaged. Evans asked colleagues to add a modest amount to the reconciliation list; Chair Friedson recorded a motion to add $15,000 as a one-time item to the reconciliation list to pay the oral-history consultant. Without objection, the chair said the motion was added to the reconciliation list; members noted that ultimate funding depends on the broader reconciliation process and competing priorities.

Logan framed the county investment as catalytic: county support, he said, encourages private donors to follow. Council staff had warned earlier that the NDA decrease reflected removal of prior one-time enhancements, and members emphasized the request was for a one-time contract expense rather than ongoing personnel support.

The committee adjourned after the discussion. The next steps cited in the meeting were full-council review of contract adjustments and reconciliation-period decisions on whether the $15,000 request will be funded in final budgets.