Depot activities updated
PRESCOTT – This past year has brought about many changes and interesting develops in the City of Prescott and the greater Nevada County area.
After having successfully acquired the Elkins’ Ferry Battlefield, the Nevada County Depot and Museum is working on a number of projects going into 2017. The interpretive plan, being developed by Mudpuppy & Waterdog, an interpretive history firm, should be complete before sometime this summer. Besides that, efforts to acquire the Prairie D’Ane Battlefield are also underway. After having collaborated with Senator Bruce Maloch, the museum was able to get $50,000 from the Arkansas Economic Development Office, leaving a remaining $98,000 of the appraised value of $1.4 million to achieve the acquisition goal. This could really help put Nevada County and the surrounding area back on the map, for travel and tourism expenditures in the Natural State exceed $5 billion each year.
The museum is also waiting to hear back about receiving a 2017 Heritage Month grant which will focuses on remembering World War I, using artifacts and photographs in the museum collection to construct a small traveling exhibit that will tour various locations around Nevada County. And of course, as you may have noticed traveling through town, the process of restoring the early 1900s wooden caboose at the museum is underway. So far, grants received total $14,000 for this project: $2,000 from the Hope Walmart; $2,000 from the Firestone Community Fund; $2,000 from the Prescott Rotary Club; and $10,000 from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous, having donated the funds in memory of the late John Teeter, first curator of the museum and one of the finest citizens the town of Prescott has ever encountered. Many, many years ago, when the caboose track was first lain at the museum, Mr. Teeter said, “One day, there will be a caboose on that track,” and the museum is proud to finally be bringing this project to fruition.
Remember: the museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and it relies on donations and funding provided by everyday citizens like you. Anyone are interested in the preservation and development of Nevada County, please do not hesitate to become a member of the Nevada County Depot and Museum just down West First Street here in town and encourage your friends to join, for we are dedicated to our mission of sharing the history of Nevada County. For more information, please visit our website, www.depotmuseum.org.
The caboose is an amazing addition to the Prescott landscape. Very proud of Ken Petre’s hard work!