There are several ways you can help us continue to serve this part of Delmarva. Here are some and we would be happy to discuss any of them in person. Call us and we will be happy to meet with you!
- Funding for Museum climate controlThe Barren Creek Heritage Museum opened in 1994 on the 1st floor of the historic Masonic Lodge Building on Main Street. The museum houses more than 30 exhibits arranged to tell the settlement, growth, & heritage of the western part of Wicomico County along the Nanticoke River. Currently, the museum is in desperate need of climate control in order to preserve items on display & prevent further deterioration.
- Sponsor the Delmarva History Lecture Series
WHS presents six lectures every year. Each lecture deals with some aspect of the history of the Delmarva peninsula, many especially focusing on this lower part of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. Speakers are always skilled and scholarly in their subject material, and all have been generous with their time and expertise. The public is invited to attend and pay no admission. The MAC center generously shares their building at no cost to WHS. A Sponsorship would allow us to offer a stipend to speakers and a donation to the MAC Center.
- Endow the Research Library
The Research Library for Family History Research opened in conjunction with the first Family History Workshop which was offered in 2016. Since then it has grown to the point where we are now open to the general public for research in lower Delmarva counties’ records, archives, and published histories. We will be continuing to add to our sources, as well as preserve and care for many original materials. We also will need to “catch up” with the accessioning, inventorying, and properly boxing and storing materials, which are constantly growing. An endowment would help pay for those activities, as well as provide a small stipend for a Registrar, Library Assistant, and/or and Intern.
- Sponsor an Intern
WHS would like to work with local colleges/universities and/or public high schools to have an intern to assist in the many activities Westside Historical Society sponsors and presents. As a non-profit organization we could offer a wide variety of learning experiences for high school or college students. A donation to this activity would make it possible for us to pursue this.
- Sponsor our Education program
For several years Westside Historical Society Board members and officers have discussed the development of an education program open to local school students in Wicomico, Somerset, and Dorchester counties. Such a program would be open to elementary students in public, private, or home school settings. A Sponsorship would enable us to offer a stipend to a qualified educator to Chair the development of such a program, and to offer small stipends teachers who would assist in such a program.