Our Future as a Home for the Past
Our heart of our mission at Fort Walla Walla Museum is to safekeep the past, inform the present, and shape our future. And for our part, this mission statement shines in our everyday operations, from the artifacts we protect in climate-controlled storage to the thousands of school children guided through the museum by docents, learning the history we all share.
However, shaping our future is a constant struggle as regretfully, regional museums are not money makers. We rely on support from a myriad of places and people to keep the lights on and keep introducing people to the Cradle of Inland Northwest History. So, who are the places and the people that support Fort Walla Walla Museum?
School children gather around the railroad diorama in Building 2 as part of our free school tour program, made possible only through local support.
On top of the display case sits one of our multimedia tour signs, provided by a federal grant.
Capital projects like the upgrade to our 33-mule team exhibit and the addition of the second floor for our Headquarters were accomplished with regional grants and support from people in our community, like our members. Construction of the Entrance building was accomplished similarly, but with the additional support of a grant from the Washington State Heritage Capitol Projects Fund.
We have received inquiries about how cuts to federal programs have impacted our operations.
While our annual operating budget does not include federal tax dollars, over the years we have received several federal grants from the Institute of Museums and Library Services and one from the National Endowment for the Humanities. These 50/50 matching grants have supported large, special projects that we couldn’t have done without those funds. Federal funds helped us publish Soldiers, Pioneers, and Indian People and An Illustrated History of Fort Walla Walla. Those federal grants not only covered half the production costs but allowed us to distribute free copies to regional schools, libraries, and museums. Just last year, we completed our multimedia digital tour to assist guests who are not part of an organized tour. Without federal support, these special enhancements to our community services would not have been possible.
But it is you, our neighbors and our community partners that are the most critical to our survival and the reason we can provide the programming we do.
We are currently working on an exhibit improvement to showcase the Walla Walla & Columbia River Railroad. This exhibit features Dorsey Baker’s #4 Blue Mountain Locomotive. Arriving in Walla Walla in 1878, this is the oldest surviving train engine in Washington State, and the only surviving locomotive of its kind in our nation. We inherited this significant artifact from the Washington State Railroads Historical Society. With support from Dorsey Baker’s descendants, Baker Boyer Bank, local folks, private foundations, plus grants from Walla Walla County and Washington state, have given us the tools to continue taking one step forward at a time.
All this is to say, operating funds are always tight, and without the occasional federal grants, it will become challenging to undertake future large projects. In the meantime, we ask for our community’s critical support to keep our doors open. Please support our Annual Fund Drive during your end-of-year giving.
