Springfield

Springfield Museum hosts ‘Hops for History’ event

Madeline McGraw, curator at the Springfield Museum, and Jenny Horby, a museum committee member, tabeling at PublicHouse on July 2 during the ”Hops for History” event. The fundraiser brought in $519 total. Alyia Hall/The Creswell Chronicle

Beer and history fans united at PublicHouse on July 2 to help support the Springfield Museum’s ”Hops for History” fundraiser.
With $1 from each pint sold donated to the museum, the event was able to raise $330 to pay for new exhibits, programs for all ages and collections care. There was also an opportunity to donate directly to the interactive children’s space in the museum, which raised $189.
””It’s really awesome working with another local organization, especially in ahistoric building.” said Madeline McGraw, museum curator. ”It’s nice to know number one that businesses here are thriving here to do that for three hours on a tuesday, and that we have so many supporters in the community.”
This is the museum’s first year hosting ”Hops for History,” and McGraw said they are already planning for next year.
The idea of ”Hops for History” came from a similar collaboration that the Springfield Public Library has with Planktown. McGraw said she really liked the idea, but wanted to explore other businesses in the area, to include more local businesses in fundraising opportunities.
”We reached out to PublicHouse and they were super excited about doing it,” she said. ”So we started planning this about two to three months ago.”
The museum is an extension of the library, and it’s free for the community. The mission of the museum is to ”foster an awareness of the history of Springfield, provide a link between our past and present, and promote an appreciation of the diverse communities that call Springfield and rural east Lane County home,” according to its website.
”We all have to help out in whatever ways we can with preserving the history,” McGraw said.
The museum has a four-person committee – Jenny Hornby, Adam Howard, Mary Beth Phelps and Mayor Christine Lundberg.
The donated money will help pay for the museum’s rotating exhibits, which change every two months, as well as its interactive children’s space. The museum has a replica of the Mount Vernon schoolhouse that they have moved to the front gallery and are filling with historical children’s books on topics that relate to Springfield and general Oregon history, plants and animals, as well as educational and historical toys.
”We’re still working on filling that area,” McGraw said.
For exhibits, a new one will be opening July 12 in collaboration with Oregon Trail Lace Makers. There will be lace artwork on display, as well as historical background on lacemaking and crafts for children.
In September and October, the museum will host an exhibit celebrating Hispanic heritage. McGraw said there would be craft and interactive opportunities.
Along with display items, the museum also has roughly 10,000 artifacts that are being preserved in their permanent collection.
”Each of those objects needs the time and the supplies to care for it, so a lot of our fundraising goes toward that as well as the public side, like the exhibits and programming,” McGraw said.
Changes also are coming to the museum, as the space is being renovated to move the permanent exhibit from upstairs to downstairs, with help from an Oregon Community Foundation grant. The schedule for exhibits will also change so it can ”have longer exhibits and tell bigger stories in a better way,” McGraw said.
”It’s a good reminder, I think, that our history belongs to everyone and allows everyone to have sort of a stake in it,” she said. ”Anyone can come in and donate their history and become part of the historical story of Springfield and East Lane County.”

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