Kibbe Museum doubles with expansion

Drawing of expansion plan for Kibbe Hancock Heritage Museum.

Kibbe Hancock Heritage Museum in Carthage is expanding and almost doubling its available display and storage space.

The museum showed plans for a new expansion that links the museum's building with their newly acquired space in the former Carthage city hall building to create one larger museum.

The new expansion is called the Bridge Building for its symbolic and literal connection of the museum and the former city hall building. It is about 2,200 square feet, which when added to the 1,900 square foot former city hall building, gives the museum a total of 10,000 square feet of display and storage space.

The total project costs about $115,000. Most of the money comes from the Kibbe Museum Hancock Heritage, Inc. board. That money comes from the sale of items to museum visitors. Jackie Adkins, vice president of the Kibbe Museum city board, said they are looking into grants and hope to receive some donations.

“We're hoping to raise about $25,000 in donations,” said Adkins. “Hopefully there will be some grants we can apply for as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit.

“With the city moving out of their building, it seemed like the best time to do this.”

The Carthage city council approved a plan for new siding, a new roof and new, larger gutters for the main museum building and new siding for the former city hall. The city is putting in a new drainage system to help prevent pooling between the two buildings where the Bridge Building is going.

Kibbe Museum was built with donations and donated to Carthage. Once the new expansion is complete, the new building will be donated to the city.

Adkins said the museum is looking for volunteers for this year to help deal with having two separate buildings to monitor. RSVP is helping with this.

“We always keep at least one person in the museum,” said Adkins. “Now we have to have a minimum of two people because we need one in each building.

“Anyone who has thought about being a volunteer is encouraged to do so. This is the year they are really needed.”

The museum plans two volunteer informational meetings. One is at 9 a.m. on March 25. The second is at 1 p.m. on March 27. Those who choose to sign-up have a volunteer training meeting in April.

All the extra room means expanded exhibits at the museum. Adkins said the museum wants to add exhibits for churches and schools and expand its exhibits in natural history, banking and barns.

“We want to fill things out,” she said. “It makes it more interesting.”

The exhibits in the former city hall building look right at home in a building designed in 1976 as a tourism center. Items were moved from the main building by students at the Hancock Academy and Hancock Learning Center.

“We couldn't have done it without their help,” said Adkins.

The Hancock County Historical Society uses office space in one room just off the main entrance to the museum. They have expanded their research room with the changes at the museum.