The Manitowoc County Historical Society received the 2019 Reuben Gold Thwaites Trophy for the organization’s commitment to preserving and sharing local history on July 19 at the museum, 924 Pinecrest Road in Manitowoc.
The Reuben Gold Thwaites Trophy is presented annually to a Wisconsin Historical Society affiliated historical organization for “continued excellence and overall service to its community over a period of at least five years.” The trophy is held by the winning organization for a year.
The Thwaites trophy will be on display at the Society’s McAllister House Welcome Center.
Formed in 1906, MCHS is one of the oldest historical societies in Wisconsin and was also one of the earliest societies to become an affiliate of the Wisconsin Historical Society. The Society’s Pinecrest Historical Village was formed 50 years ago.
MCHS currently serves over 11,000 people each year through daily tours, research services, first-rate programs, and events. They keep thorough computerized records on each of their 14,000 documents, artifacts, and photographs, and have two paid employees (one full-time director and one part-time program coordinator) in addition to 150 volunteers. Over the past five years, MCHS has made strides in improving their financial sustainability, public programs, collections management, and museum growth.
The Reuben Gold Thwaites Award is named after the second director of the Wisconsin Historical Society, Reuben Thwaites, who served as an editor at the Wisconsin State Journal before going on to help the Historical Society secure a campus for its archives in Madison, which is still in use today. Thwaites spearheaded the legislation effort to create an affiliated network of historical societies throughout Wisconsin in the late 1800s.
Wisconsin Historical Society Director Christian Overland said “The Manitowoc County Historical Society is recognized as a leader in innovative public programming for visitors of all ages. Student participation in tours and programs has nearly doubled since 2014. MCHS also now offers SPARK! programming for those living with memory loss and their caregivers.”
“Restoration efforts continue with the Meeme House project, and the Manitowoc County Historical Society is a recent graduate of the AASLH StEPS program, earning their final ‘gold’ certificate in the Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations.”
The award was presented to the Manitowoc County Historical Society by Overland and Janet Seymour, Interim Director of Outreach on behalf of Brian Rude, Board President, and the Board of Curators. Accepting the award on behalf of the Manitowoc County Historical Society was Amy Meyer, Executive Director, and Alexandra Brendemuehl, Program Coordinator. Numerous Manitowoc County Historical Society members and volunteers were in attendance during the presentation, including former Manitowoc County Historical Society director Bob Fay, who accepted the Thwaites award on behalf of MCHS in 1990.