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Museum appreciates its volunteers -
Paul Gaudette | Citizen staff photos Above, Dublin Historical Museum volunteers enjoy refreshments and talking to one another at an appreciation event. Right, Dublin Historical Society President talks to fellow volunteers inside the museum. The museum is located at 118 W. Blackjack St.
Smiles and snacks were shared Saturday, April 13 at the Dublin Historical Museum as it honored its helpers with a volunteer appreciation day.
“All of these people have been so good in helping us,” said Historical Society President Ben Pate. “We wanted to show them how much it means to us.”
As people visited and enjoyed signature treats prepared by Mary Howard and Dana Herod, they offered input on their favorite stories to tell within the museum and were asked for ways to improve it.
“There’s so much for people to come and see [at the museum],” Pate said, adding that volunteers who take an afternoon as a greeter will discover more than they noticed on a visit. He also added as people get to know Dublin, a lot of the photos are artifacts that become more meaningful with the context.
Volunteers were also asked about their willingness to take part in special projects like scanning documents and clipping newspaper articles.
Pate said there is a sizable amount of information that needs to be properly archived for the sake of visitors. The need is illustrated by a visiting family who were unaware of personal letters donated by a member of the family which they were able to read while looking at the museum’s other related archival materials.
Like the other museums in town, The Dublin Historical Museum is grateful for its volunteers but is in need of more to share the load of sharing local history.
If you would like to donate time to preserve Dublin’s history while learning about it yourself, contact Ben Pate at btpate@yahoo.com.