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SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE!
Staff Report –
The Northern Mariposa County History Center dedicated its new, modern, handicap accessible storage building on Saturday, June 13, just before the annual Member Meeting.
The construction of the building became a priority of the museum back in 2019 when the donation of a large collection of local antiquities more than maxed out the already crowded storage areas housing the museum’s collections.
Two years of applying for grants eventually paid off, when the California Natural Resources Agency awarded the museum a $500,000 grant from the Cultural & Historic Endowment Fund. That grant, along with a generous donation from the estate of one of our most dedicated volunteers, Karol Hara, provided the bulk of the funding needed, with funds raised from recent CoyoteFests rounding out the gaps.
“When we signed the contract with the granting agency back in 2023, requiring the building be completed in 3 years, it seemed like more than ample time. Little did I know that it would take more than two years to work through the county and state red tape, and that was with terrific cooperation of folks in the Mariposa County Planning and Building Departments,” said Dale Silverman, co-chair of the Grants Committee.
“The state actually had to grant us a 3 month extension but we finally received the final stamp of approval from the building department last month,” she said.
Just finding a contractor willing to take on the project with the various restrictions government contracts always seem to include was a challenge. Steve Huff, who oversaw the actual construction, took up the gauntlet, eventually finding Plum Construction, based in Sonora.
“They were absolutely terrific,” he said. “It was a real pleasure to work with such a professional and competent outfit. Once we had our building permit squared away, Ben Nelson and the Plum team went to work, completing the grading, foundation, erection of the structure and interior finish work in 8 months, slowing down only when the weather would not cooperate.”
Volunteers are now setting up the interior, initially moving items that have been stored off site for several years. Other volunteers are focusing on the final phase of the long term plan developed shortly after the NMCHC received the major gift of the building and land immediately adjacent to the existing museum from Ruselle Barrett Shivley, daughter of Frank and Ila Barrett in 2017.
The initial phase was the expansion of the museum itself with the addition of the Frank and Ila Barrett Room opening in 2021. The second stage was the erection of the storage building, and the third and final stage is the creation of native landscaping and displays on the remaining gifted property.
President Lynn Breshears is delighted that she and her committee can focus on this aspect. They are working with representatives of the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation to create a garden typical of the era prior to the gold rush.
This 10 year project is but the most recent chapter in the development of the Northern Mariposa County History Center. Helen Bauman gave the members a brief refresher of how the museum was created and its subsequent growth during the meeting.
Initially, back in the early 1970s, members of the Coulterville Community Club decided to
explore the idea of creating a museum to preserve the history of the northern region of
Mariposa County. As plans and fund raising were developed, they realized the need to
create an independent 501c3 California corporation in order to be eligible for grants and
to secure property. In 1977 the property that contained the remnants of the Coulter
Hotel and Peppers Trading Post was purchased from Vernon Peppers for $30,000.
The volunteers then expanded their fund raising activities and were able to pay off the debt on the property by 1980. They then focused on restoration of the building and just three years later, in 1983, opened the museum’s doors to the public. Two years later a grant was awarded that covered the cost of constructing the administrative building and then in 1992 another grant was secured allowing for the construction of the vehicle display barn.
The footprint of the museum remained pretty much status quo for the next 25 years.
The Barrett Shively gift changed all that, with the interior display area practically
doubling when the Barrett Room was opened.
The completion of the storage building will now allow the museum’s accession committee to accept several collections of mining and ranching equipment that donors were asked to hold onto as there simply was no room. It also eliminates the need to rent space off site for some of the items in the museum’s current collection, and enables the display and research committee members, as well as external researchers, far greater access to the items not currently on display.
Moving into the future, the History Center looks forward to some exciting new projects. In
addition to the Miwuk Native Garden, Waylon Coates, vice-chair of the Southern Sierra Miwuk Tribal Council and Tribal Archaeologist hopes to add significantly to the History Center’s Miwuk collection.
During the Member Meeting, Coates presented a reproduction of a traditional feathered cape and head dress. He noted that the Miwuk had about 500 wooden structures on property that is now part of the Haigh and Penon Blanco ranches, with many other tribal members living throughout the area, and he wants to build up the museum’s collection of artifacts from that era to reflect that history.
Another exciting prospect is the development of programming in conjunction with the
Smithsonian Institution, through its Rural Initiative Program. Representatives of that institution have recently toured the museum and indicated they were impressed with the professionalism and quality of the museum. The potential to work with this renowned institution to creatively focus on new educational opportunities for local school children is very exciting.
Related Coverage: Smithsonian Institute Brings Museum Expertise to Mariposa County, California
President Lynn Breshears encourages everyone to get involved.
“The museum always needs volunteers. No matter what your skills might be … the Docent program, gardening, crafting, children’s programming, research, display set-up, carpentry and other construction skills are always needed!”
Call 209-878-3015 and leave your name and number or email nmchc1@gmail.com.
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