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Quincy Valley Historical Society & Museum: Normal opening, odd year

by SAM FLETCHER
Staff Writer | March 3, 2021 1:00 AM

QUINCY — The state moved into Phase 2 in time for a “normal” March opening at the Quincy Valley Historical Society & Museum. But this year will be anything but normal.

Many of the year’s events are in flux, said operations director Harriet Weber. For instance, school districts aren’t making field trip decisions until after spring break at the earliest.

But that hasn’t slowed down anybody in the historical society.

“You don’t stop; you got to keep going,” Weber said. “You just change your focus.”

Because of this attitude, pandemic restrictions weren’t all bad for the museum. People haven’t had a lot to do, so the society gained a solid group of new volunteers, she said. In terms of archive work, it has been one of the best years yet.

The museum is a village of Quincy relics, including The Reiman-Simmons House, The Pioneer Church and The Heritage Barn, filled with thousands of artifacts, photographs, documents, maps and ephemera – even an entire room dedicated to Quincy-area family lineage.

For select Mondays on Facebook, the historical society has been streaming presentations from speakers and musicians. For President’s Day, Quincy’s city administrator, Pat Haley, shared a historical saga interweaving his collection of letters from presidents and memorabilia from military leaders and other prominent figures.

As spring progresses, the museum will take drone footage of historical sites of the Quincy Valley area, Weber said. Following will be a four-part exhibit on mental health: how to stay mentally and emotionally strong in today’s climate.

Also on the docket is a preparedness fair featuring lessons in food storage, security, personal health and other topics.

Much else will be played by ear, Weber said. The historical society looks forward to getting back to its large-scale outdoor events at some point.

“We’re ready to move on,” Weber said. “We’re really hopeful and doing everything we can to make sure that we can keep serving our community, which is what we want to do.”

Starting Friday and through November, the museum will be open Fridays and Saturdays from 12:30 to 4:30.

Sam Fletcher can be reached via email at sfletcher@columbiabasinherald.com.

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Courtesy Harriet Weber

Quincy Historical Society's "skilled woodcrafter volunteer" Chris Allen hangs quilt in preparation for museum opening.

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Courtesy Harriet Weber

Quincy Historical Society volunteer Carol Golay sweeping a shelf on Friday.

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Courtesy Harriet Weber

Gene Stanley, Quincy Historical Society's oldest charter member, paints a wall in preparation for the museum's opening.