Fond du Lac County Historical Society Announces New Direction
The Board of Directors of the Fond du Lac County Historical Society has determined that a new vision for the Society and the Historic Galloway House and Village is necessary to transition to a sustainable ongoing local history organization. The Society has served Fond du Lac County as an independent non-profit organization for more than 70 years.
The Fond du Lac County Historical Society has faced several challenges in recent years that have impacted the Society’s ability to maintain operations and services at the current levels. Similar to other non-profits, the Society has experienced increased operational costs, decreased volunteer availability, reduced engagement with the community and lack of funding.
The Galloway House is by far the most valuable and recognizable asset held by the Society. Safeguarding this property is of the utmost importance and will be a priority of this new vision. Moving forward, the Society Board of Directors will partner with local government, community groups, and other historical preservation organizations from around the state to determine the best plan to decrease the current Society facilities to sustainable levels to ensure the historical society remains a viable resource for the greater Fond du Lac community in the future. This will include a reduction of the grounds, buildings other than the Galloway House, and services currently housed at the Historic Galloway House and Village located at 336 Old Pioneer Road in Fond du Lac, WI.
“This has been a difficult decision for the Board of Directors and one that was made with much consideration of many scenarios,” said Lisa Lefeber, President of the Fond du Lac County Historical Society Board of Directors. “Ultimately, we needed to address the fact that the Society’s current model is no longer sustainable so we could develop a plan that will help ensure there is a viable future for historical preservation, education and community programming in Fond du Lac County.”
The community is highly encouraged to visit the grounds for upcoming events including the 67th Annual Ice Cream Social on August 13, Night Out in the Village events throughout the summer, and Trick-or-Treating in the Village on October 22. Please visit www.fdlhistory.org for more information on upcoming events. The Historic Galloway House and Village will close after the conclusion of the 2023 season. Plans for reopening in the future will be communicated to the public when available.
A public communication session will be held later this summer to share more details on the status of the restructuring and downsizing plans for the Society. Anyone with questions or feedback is encouraged to attend that meeting. Date, time and location of the meeting will be announced on the Fond du Lac County Historical Society social media pages and website. Due to constrained resources and the undertaking of large projects to continue Society efforts, the ability to respond to individual emails or phone calls may be limited.
Community members who would like to support the continuation of the historic preservation efforts and programming of the Fond du Lac County Historical Society, please consider the following opportunities to help.
- Donate to the general operating fund of the Society to support curation, maintenance, and operational costs. Donations can be made online at www.fdlhistory.org or via mail to Fond du Lac County Historical Society, PO Box 1284, Fond du Lac, WI 54936-1284.
- Volunteer for an upcoming event, project, or maintenance efforts by emailing info@fdlhistory.org.
- Provide professional services such as legal, accounting, project planning, or construction by emailing president@fdlhistory.org.