06/11/2020
June 11, 2020 - Burlington, IA. The Board of Directors of the Des Moines County Historical Society announced today that the Garrett-Phelps House Museum at 521 Columbia Street and Crapo Park Hawkeye Native’s Log Cabin Museum on Main Street will remain closed for the remainder of the 2020 season due to the global pandemic. Both locations are usually opened to the public from the first weekend in May through the last weekend in October. During this unprecedented time, “the safety of the staff and the volunteers remains our top priority,” stated LaVon Worley, President of the Board. “Almost all of our volunteers are considered vulnerable Iowans,” he continued, “their reluctance to act as tour guides and docents right now is certainly understood.”
The DMC Heritage Center Museum, the former public library building, has been shuttered since mid-March when Governor Reynolds announced her proclamation closing all museums in the state. While the Governor has lifted the restriction allowing museums to reopen, the DMCHS Board has not determined when the historic building will resume welcoming visitors to tour the over 120-year-old building. “Catfish Corners, our children’s play area, is a big consideration in this decision,” stated Robin Schneiderman, Executive Director. “We are disappointed that many tourists will miss out on all three of the museums this season,” continued Schneiderman, “we will reopen the Heritage Center once the Board feels more comfortable with the changing COVID-19 statistics.”
The annual fundraiser, Desserts by Design, postponed from its regular April date to later in August, has now been cancelled for 2020. The DbD committee and the Players Workshop volunteers spent countless hours putting together a 100th anniversary celebration of the Women’s Suffragette movement. It is hoped the program will be presented at another time. At this time there are no other events on the schedule.
The monthly DMCHS newsletter will resume later this month.
For more information on the Des Moines County Historical Society and its museums, visit the website www.dmchs.org or find their page .
Museums ATTENTION: It has been decided to close the Heritage Museum for an indefinite period of time effective @ 4pm Tuesday, March 17th 2020. Please note that we will pay close attention to the recommendations of the city, state and national authorities as to the length of time this closure will la...
