Saving Brookside Museum

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When I arrived in Saratoga Springs in December 2018, I knew nary a soul (save for my partner’s small family), and I certainly had never heard of Brookside Museum. Within a year, however, I found myself enmeshed in a network of local historians and deeply invested in Brookside’s survival. Shortly thereafter, I led of team of volunteers to not only save the venerable museum but transform it into a dynamic history center that would serve the county and stand the test of time.

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Before my arrival in upstate New York, I was a history professor and professional writer. Though I was passionate about community service and social justice, I had little experience with, or, frankly, interest in, museums. With the exception of my rewarding work with Historians Against Slavery (an international coalition of scholars dedicated to combatting unfree labor and human trafficking), my life before Saratoga was devoted to podium and pen. My partner and I relocated to Saratoga from Texas to follow her career – a big promotion and transfer to her hometown was an offer we couldn’t refuse. Thus, I did the unthinkable: I resigned my tenure-track assistant professor position and trekked to the frozen northeast. I confess, I was daunted by the challenge of starting over in an unfamiliar place with no job or associates in sight. Eager to plug myself into the local history scene, I emailed anyone I could get ahold of that practiced history. It didn’t take long before I was directed to the beloved local historian Jim Richmond, who welcomed me to his Saratoga County History Roundtable with open arms. I quickly connected with other history-minded residents and was ushered into the world of Brookside. Within a year, I was invited to join the board, which, I learned with dismay, was in dire financial crisis. Though the Saratoga County Historical Society at Brookside Museum was a respected institution in Ballston Spa, it was hardly known beyond its Village environs; its membership had declined precipitously over the years, and, with it, revenue. Board president Sander Bonvell was charged with the Herculean task of saving Brookside, so he brought in new trustees (including Nora Osuchowski, Isobel Connell, Maureen Walsh, and myself) and launched a vigorous “Save Brookside” fundraising campaign. The effort yielded an impressive $90,000 but was too little too late. Talk of selling the collections and shuttering the building dominated my first few board meetings.

In March 2020, the crisis deepened when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, and New York State went into lockdown. Any hopes for revenuegenerating in-person events at Brookside were dashed. But rather than accept defeat and closure, as so many museums across the country did, Osuchowski, Connell, and I rallied the board to take Brookside virtual. With schools suddenly remote, and everyone trapped in their homes day and night, we believed there was a terrific opportunity to do something new and provide content to a hungry public. We started a YouTube channel, registered a Zoom account, reached out to area schools to investigate their needs, and created social media accounts to connect with the public. Our fellow board members were skeptical but supportive. While Osuchowski, Connell, and I developed experimental virtual events (like a guest speaker series and a “town hall” forum on current events), our colleagues continued to prepare for the worst. By the end of the spring, the board voted to place Brookside’s small staff on furlough, layoff our Executive Director (who had done her best to stave-off collapse) and become an all-volunteer organization. The new board president, Jere Blackwelder, had to be both undertaker and cheerleader, encouraging our efforts but being realistic about the future.

Though I was new to the area and had little personally vested in the preservation of the museum, I came to feel deeply attached to Brookside. Thus, I and my colleagues explored every avenue, including seeking advice from outside experts. In particular, Dr. Taylor Stoermer, filmmaker and history professor at Johns Hopkins University, spoke with me at length and helped me create a game-plan for financial revival and long-term success: we would need to rebrand, incentivize membership, and make our organization relevant to people beyond the Village of Ballston Spa. In short, dramatic changes were imperative. Luckily, Osuchowski, Connell, and Blackwelder were enthusiastic. Together, we created a report, presented it to the board, and won their approval. The “Saratoga County Historical Society at Brookside Museum” (a cumbersome name) became the “Saratoga County History Center” (a clearer and more dynamic identity); the webpage was entirely reworked; and we pressed full steam ahead with online programming (which, to incentivize membership, would be free to members and $5 for nonmembers). Simultaneously, Maureen Walsh worked her math magic, got Brookside’s account books in shape, and gave us an accurate, and much-needed, diagnosis of the organization’s financial health. Still, while virtual programming was exciting and popular, the bills needed to be paid. To the rescue came Donna Dardaris and her fundraising committee, which conceived of and implemented several events, including “Brooks Barbecue at Brookside.” By 2021, we had money to keep the lights on (literally!), and an ambitious agenda. Our “Experts Next Door” virtual speaker series became a popular monthly fixture, our publicity campaigns received positive attention, and our partnerships with area schools, including Skidmore College, blossomed. When the pandemic abated in the summer of 2021, we threw open the doors of Brookside, debuted exciting new exhibits (such as “The Social Life of Hats” and “A Century of Ice Cream”), revived old favorites like “From Sheep to Shawl,” and even hosted a summer concert series and a county-wide “treasure hunt.” Despite the resurgence of Covid-19 in the fall of 2021, the History Center continues to thrive. We have just added several new board members, renovated parts of the Brookside mansion, launched a program of “hybrid” events (made possible by the purchase of new multimedia equipment), teamed-up with town historians on a variety of projects, started a weekly newsletter, created a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee, and inaugurated an annual Saratoga County Public History Award. 2022 will be the most energetic year yet for the organization, and I can truly say that the History Center has been a smashing success. As I reflect on my short time in Saratoga – less than four years, at the time of writing – I must say that participating in the saving of Brookside, and the subsequent creation of the History Center, brings me enormous joy. More importantly, “Brookisde” is a now an important part of Saratoga County culture that will hopefully delight and educate generations to come. SS