COMMUNITY Q & A

Eben N. F. Williams is the current administrator/curator of the Greene County Historical Society. Since 2011, Mr. Williams has taken the helm of the museum and guided the organization into success with special exhibits, educational programs and collaborative projects with other community organizations.
Recently, Dave Zuchowski of the Greene County Messenger posed several questions to Mr. Williams concerning the historical society and his work there. Below are his responses.
Q: What’s new at the historical society for 2014? What are the remaining events and activities for the rest of the year?
A: We are continuing our monthly Experiencing History Movie and Lecture Series, in which we have local historians and re-enactors lecture on certain historic topics and screen movies that relate to Greene County history. We are celebrating National Ice Cream Day with an ice cream social on July 20 from 2 to 5 p.m. After that we have the opening reception of our “Blue, Gray and Greene: the Civil War Era in Greene County” exhibit on October 5 from 2 to 5 p.m. Of course, our two big events of the year are the Harvest Festival, which will be on October 11 and 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, and the Flashlight Fright Night Halloween event on October 25.
Q: What do you feel is the most interesting piece in the society’s collection? How big is the collection and does it continue to grow?
A: Personally, I am enthralled by the Adam Everly Powder Horn. It is richly scrimshawed with colonial animals, ships and buildings. Everly was a corporal in the 1st Maryland Regiment of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, one of the few regiments that saw action both in the northern and southern theaters of the war. The regiment was regarded by George Washington as the “Old Line” because they were such brave and well organized soldiers. He settled in the Dunkard Creek area of Greene County with his father and both are buried there. The overall collection of the museum is well over 30,000 pieces and continues to grow due to the generous gifts of the community. We are honored that they trust us with their stories and history.
Q: Are there any specific exhibits up at the moment? Any planned in the near future?
A: We have a rather spectacular Native Americans and Pioneers of Greene County special exhibit that has a lot of rare items from the pre-colonial and colonial Greene County. In the fall, we will be host to the Senator John Heinz History Center’s Civil War Exhibit, which combined with our own collection will make a truly honorable and commemorative display of Greene County history.
Q: Are there any changes at the historical society occurring at the moment, in the recent past or the near future?
A: We have some new internal projects to help realign our organization more firmly to our mission. We are working on a thorough strategic plan to help insure that the Greene County Historical Society will prosper and grow. These include subcommittees manned by community members that will serve as consultants to our organization. The three we have already are the Educational Advisory Committee, the Financial Advisory Committee and the Historical Advisory Committee.
Q: How is the society funded?
A: Since the state budget cuts, the Greene County Historical Society is heavily reliant on local grants and public donations. After losing $30,000 a year from the state, the museum now receives a $15,000 annual grant from the county, which is generous but does not help to even aid in the upkeep of our artifacts and structures, let alone our staffing and utilities.
Q: Are there any major concerns about the society at the moment?
A: The first and foremost concern is lack of funding. The Greene County Historical Society is in need of funding sources to aid in every sector of its operations. The second, and equally important, is the old Greene County Almshouse. The museum building is a Victorian-era building and is not conducive to the changes in weather and ground integrity. Recently, it was discovered that some of the dry piers have shimmied out, causing serious damage to a couple of our exhibit room floors. The cracking and shifting in the floor has caused the museum to cordon off these rooms. It is our hope that in the off-season we can better assess and correct the damage before it is too late.
Q: Is membership and attendance growing or dwindling? Can you provide stats?
A: In my time here, I have seen the number of regular museum visitors dwindle from about 1,000 a year to about 800. We have tried to change exhibits twice a year and still the numbers are down. The same can be said of membership, where we have gone from about 175 to just 85 for 2014. We are trying to rebuild our membership by connecting with members through our newsletters and activities that will help involve the membership more with our mission to preserve Greene County history.
Q: What do you feel is in the future for the society, both in the near future and the long run?
A: I have faith that the Greene County Historical Society will stay the course and grow to be a successful institution both locally and beyond. We have some great ideas we are putting into effect that help breech the gap between a traditional historical society and the technologically advanced society we live in today. Despite the financial and structural issues we face, we have a job to do. People need to know their history and until they reach the age or time in their life when it matters, the Greene County Historical Society will be there for them.