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Region of Three Oaks Museum launches campaign for addition

It’s “Three Oaks Against the World: Take Two” for The Region of Three Oaks Museum (TROTOM), which has launched a capital campaign to raise funds for much-needed storage space.

The proposed storage addition would be 36 by 40 feet and located on land that’s already owned by TROTOM to the south of the museum toward the railroad tracks.

The “Three Oaks Against the World” motto is an ode to that time when residents rallied to acquire the Dewey Cannon.

“We won the cannon and now we’re kind of doing the same thing: We’re competing with other communities and other nonprofits for grants,” Chuck Sittig, president of the museum’s board of directors, said to supporters for the first kick off to the campaign at the museum Friday, Nov. 4.

The year was 1899. Residents had raised the most money per capita of any community in the United States to acquire the cannon.

At the time, that was $1.41 per person – which today, Sittig said, is the “equivalent buying power of almost $30 per capita.”

Sittig, along with board member Randy Miller, have built an arch – with the words “Three Oaks Against the World” emblazoned at the top - for the museum’s entrance that’s a replica of the one that stood at the corner of Linden and Elm streets at the turn of the century.

While guests had gathered at the front of the house for that night’s reception, Nick Bogert, a member of the board of directors, said the campaign was focused on the back of the house – where the accessioning takes place and items are stored.

An entry form is filled out for an item that’s donated, and research is conducted on it. When people offer to donate items, the item is evaluated on four criteria: its significance to the local area, the use that you can put the item to, its uniqueness and the replaceability of the item.

Once in house, items are assigned a unique number, which is entered into a computer program called Past Perfect, which was purchased through a Pokagon Fund grant along with a new computer. Items are then placed into a location (preferably grouped with similar items) that can be accessed on the computer.

Bogert said that some of the shelves don’t have space for the items – which is becoming a “little bit

BY FRANCESCA SAGALA

of a problem and it’s getting worse.”

“The good news is because we’re getting more donations, people are more aware of the museum…I think demographically, some of the Baby Boomers are finding when their parents pass on, they have a whole attic full of stuff and there’s a lot of good history,” he said, adding that they don’t want to “start turning it away.”

number, which is entered into a computer Dr. Lee Strohl has a desk from the Horness Company, which manufactured chairs in the old Featherbone complex and dissolved in 1978. Bogert found a photo of the Featherbone offices that appeared to have the same desk (although there could’ve been more than one) in it. Dental equipment for the dental exhibit that was lent by Dr. Debra and Dave Mannia (Dr. Debra practices at the dental office where the equipment had been in storage) is now being offered to the museum for keeps.

Due to the lack of storage space, though, Bogert said that it’d be hard to find space for a desk or all that equipment.

He added that the attic of the Three Oaks Township Library (the library was the original location of the museum) also has items that have “migrated up there,” such as sections of wooden water pipe that was made in Three Oaks.

“We think all those things ought to come home from the attic of the library – we’d like to bring it all home under one roof,” Bogert said.

The proposed addition would have a cement floor, be insulated and have a shingle roof and heat.

“We’ve had a couple contractors look at it and bid on it,” Bogert said, adding that they were given a “roundish figure” of $90,000.

The museum board has already committed $20,000 of the museum’s own reserves toward the project and several thousand dollars has already been contributed

The museum will also be having a series a of fundraising events and a Go Fund Me-style online campaign.

The museum has already applied for grants through the Berrien Community Foundation, The Pokagon Fund and the Upton Foundation and will be applying to more over the next several months.

The United States Institute of Museum and Library Services won’t fund the construction, but Bogert said it’s hoped they can apply there for money for the shelves, which will be another $15,000.

Sittig hopes the new addition will put the museum in line with other ones, where it’s 90% storage and 10% display.

“With our funds originally, we were the other way around,” he said.

Checks for donations to the museum can be made out to The Region of Three Oaks Museum at PO Box 121 Three Oaks MI 49128.