The Elbert County Historical Society's goals are to expand, develop and continue to maintain the museum building and develop exhibits; increase marketing of the existence and quality of the museum; and develop and implement education sessions on the history and culture of Elbert County.
The Mission Statement comes from the Elbert County Historical Society's Constitution: 1) To record and maintain the history of Elbert County, Colorado from the earliest settlement, 2) To work for the establishment of appropriate vaults and archives for the preservation of original manuscripts, documents, photographs and artifacts which may come into the possession of the Society, and 3) To maintain, preserve and house the above stated articles in the Elbert County Museum.
The Elbert County Historical Society evolved from an early "Pioneer's Picnic" in June of 1956. The picnic far exceeded the expectations of the sponsors, as a crowd of over 200 people -many of whom were descendants of early settlers attended. Before the end of the day, the group had decided to organize a county historical society and elect a board of directors. Their original vision of preserving the history of Elbert County through photographs and artifacts took shape in the years to follow as collected items were stored in barns and garages across the county, waiting until a museum could be established.
With a sense of historic pride in the mid-1970's brought on by America's Bicentennial; interest in the Elbert County Historical Society was rekindled and a younger generation of county residents embarked upon the ambitions of the original group. This second generation actively worked towards building a museum through their diligent fundraising efforts and continued perseverance towards collecting county relics.
The most recent renewal of the Elbert County Historical Society came in the early 1990's, when it acquired the original Kiowa High School building. The unique design of the Spanish colonial revival style structure seemed to be the ideal location for a county museum and the timing couldn't have been better. Built in 1921, the building had served its original purpose of educating the youth for 60 plus years, but after being replaced with modern facilities and used as storage for the school district; the structure was in a state of growing disrepair.
After the Society obtained the old school house in 1991, work began on the building and plans were drafted for its first displays. A grant made possible through the Colorado Endowment for the Humanities funded the first permanent exhibit Window to the Past, Door to the Future, which was unveiled in June of 1993 during the official opening ceremonies of the Elbert County Museum. That same year, the Historical Society received an Award of Recognition from the Denver Posse of Westerners for our efforts to preserve western history through the new exhibit.
Today, more than 65 years later, the resolve of the Elbert County Historical Society remains intact and centered on preserving the county's history for future generations.
Organization name
Elbert County Historical Society & Museum
other names
ECHS
1976
Tax id (EIN)
84-1011281
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Address
515 Comanche Street (Hwy 86) PO Box 43Mailing
PO Box 43Elbert County, CO, US