Input sought for new Historical Society museum exhibits
Consultants working on a new museum in the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society’s Pardee House are looking for the community’s opinion as they develop new exhibits, and they want to reach out to as many people as possible with a brief survey.
In August, the society hired Jessica Hough, a consultant with experience in museum and exhibit planning and familiarity with current societal trends in public history, to help create a plan for developing the museum. Her efforts have been supported by a steering committee made up of community leaders who have been suggesting subjects and interpretations for the new space.
“The SCVHS’S aim is to build a museum that reflects the interests of the community and provides the amenities that would best serve visitors,” Hough said. “Community input is an essential step in getting this right.”
Everyone is invited to take the survey, which is available online in both English, at forms.gle/asf4anBfvaodjszd6, and Spanish, at forms.gle/mhz5veurh9uagehp6. Hough needs to have all completed surveys in by Friday, Dec. 9.
“We want to hear from individuals about their museum – a museum that will help tell the story of the Santa Clarita Valley,” she added.
The museum, which is expected to open in late 2023, will house artifacts and displays about local history. The new museum will look very different from the collection of displays that formerly filled a baggage room in the Saugus Train Station at Heritage Junction in Hart Park, and will reflect current subjects of interest in rotating exhibits.
Subjects such as transportation, the St. Francis Dam disaster, agriculture, diverse populations and indigenous peoples, the movie industry, education and the development of the community are possible display topics, but the society is looking for what visitors would really like to see and learn about.