In hopes of meeting the public’s interest in local area history, the Prince Albert Historical Society is set on providing greater accessibility.
Although the winter months have always resulted in the museum opening by appointment only, added public interest has inspired the society to begin opening its doors, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., every Thursday beginning Jan. 10.
“We thought it would be a really good idea to have the museum open so that people won't have to make an appointment to come in,” curator Michelle Taylor said.
“We’ll have a couple volunteers here every Thursday to answer questions and show people around.”
Admission will be free, and those unable to make it out on Thursday afternoons can still contact the museum to make an appointment for another time during the weekdays.
The museum will remain open on Thursday afternoons until the end of March. Throughout April, society personnel prepare for the summer, with all of their four museums re-opening on a full-time basis with student guides after the Victoria Day long weekend.
Greeting museum visitors will be a new display on La Colle Falls – Prince Albert’s failed hydroelectric project, which closed 100 years ago.
We thought it would be a really good idea to have the museum open so that people won’t have to make an appointment to come in. - Curator Michelle Taylor
“Carlton High School students made us a model of La Colle Falls,” Taylor said, noting that an additional display with various pictures will also be on site.
From a funding standpoint, the society will be seeking funds to repair the Diefenbaker House, which has seen its northern sunroom addition suffer structural defects, sagging to the north.
“It was talked about last summer, so they did an engineering report on the building and it got put on hold, so hopefully this year something will happen,” Taylor said.
The society is also looking at funding to construct an audiovisual building to the west of the Diefenbaker house, so that between the house and the new building they are able to comfortably fit a full classroom’s worth of people at a time.
With Taylor beginning an expected seven-month maternity leave in March, an interim curator will be overseeing this summer’s goings on.
“We’ll try and keep things as status quo,” Taylor said. “We’re trying to hire someone with museum experience.”
For the full story on the Diefenbaker house, see Friday’s Daily Herald.
