PROGRESS: Preserving and sharing are keys to BCHS’ success

There’s simply no reason to have a collection of over 400,000 historical artifacts if no one gets to see them or to understand their relevance to our lives today. It’s with that thought in mind that the Bonner County Historical Society and Museum works diligently to make as many items as possible accessible to the community.

The museum, located at Lakeview Park, sits on land leased from the city of Sandpoint. Last year, despite the tenets of that lease undergoing negotiation, the board of directors and Executive Director Hannah Combs decided to hold an open house for the public to preview their visions for the future.

“The open house was triggered by a facility assessment we conducted in 2023 which laid out about ten years of facility maintenance and collection infrastructure,” Combs said. “We worked with North Root Architecture to determine how much additional space we need to support our ever expanding collection. They put together preliminary designs for an addition, and we hosted the open house to encourage public input. These varied and thoughtful ideas will help guide us when the time comes to move forward.”

Believe it or not, thanks to the many tasks that volunteers perform, the annual budget for BCHS is only around $125,000. Combs divided up the income as roughly twenty percent coming from the county, with fifty percent coming from individual donations and the rest a combination of research fees, gift shop sales, and event tickets.

Approximately 70 volunteers work on research projects, serve to greet visitors, manage the collection, and act as hosts at events. Others work on exhibit preparations, act as tour guides to local students, and manage marketing projects. And, not to be remiss, someone has to clean the building and shovel when it snows.

Board members head committees such as governance, finance, fundraising, collection management, facility management, and programming.

“We are two staff members, so we rely heavily on volunteers, not just for support, but to lead some of our endeavors which is why our board members are so appreciated,” Combs said.  “I like leading by consensus, so having committees as platforms for our members and the community to share their ideas about what we do is important to me.”

The museum charges a nominal fee to view the exhibits. Memberships are encouraged and come with benefits. And Free Saturdays occur on the first Saturday of every month and run in conjunction with the very popular children’s program called Hands on History. Children two and older are given the unique opportunity to experience what life was like long ago. This is one of several educational activities focused on educating young families.

Last year’s events such as the Pioneer Picnic, Yard Sale and Sunday School Saloon, a presentation about the women who built Sandpoint, resulted in recruiting over 30 new members and netted around $10,000. More fundraising events are planned for 2026.

A visit to BCHS’s website, www.bonnercountyhistory.org, will provide you with information on how to request research materials. Whether it be documents, photographs, or information about a specific item, staff and volunteers can lead you through the process of obtaining what you’re seeking. There is also a process if you want to donate an item with provenance in the county.

If you haven’t been to the museum lately, there is a new exhibit that curator Olivia Fee has recently installed that you won’t want to miss. Called “For the Record” this fascinating exhibit includes sections on photography, surveying and journalism.

On the third Thursday of each month, members gather for “History Exchange” which is facilitated by a diverse group of local historians. On the second and fourth Mondays at 8 a.m. you can tune into 88.5 KRFY for the “Community Character Hour.”

“New this year is the Drive and Discover Tour on May 2,” Combs said. “This is a tour of historic sites on the north and south shores of the Pend Oreille River. Our goal is to tour a different part of the county each year. Also mark the date for our annual picnic on July 19. And coming this fall, collectively called Harvest of Stories, features a guided luminaria tour of one of our local cemeteries.”

She also said that later this fall, as part of the Harvest of Stories project, a Historic Tools Expo will be held at Sandpoint Organic Agricultural Center. This exhibit will showcase “a bunch of old tools focusing on how technology has and has not changed over the last century.”

Circling back to last year’s accomplishments, Combs said. “We did a ton of work organizationally. We’ve made a five year plan, updated our policies, strengthened our board recruitment and training. We’ve worked on a lot of fundamental things, so we’ll be in a good and stable position when it is time to move forward with our facility plans.”