Kishacoquillas Valley Historical Society Collections Policy

   The Historical Society is the steward of a vast collection of donated and purchased items, documents, books and memorabilia. Since the Society formed in 1992, Kishacoquillas Valley residents and their descendants have provided family heirlooms, papers, photos and local souvenirs that fill the rooms at the house, barn and blacksmith sites on campus.

   In the early days of the museum items seldom came with background information on the objects.  In 2005 a computer system was obtained to better keep track of the inventory. The donations are placed in one of four categories: objects, archives (any paper item as deeds, surveys, etc.), photos and books.

  Forms are available for the incoming items with room for background information on each item. An object is much more interesting if it says:  “This is a telephone that was the first in Allensville and was owned by Dr. Silas Hazlett” as opposed to “This is an old telephone”.

   We need to review donations and decide on acceptance into our collection. The information on the form is vital to see if it fits into our collection, not just any interesting antique. 

   Other factors in determining acceptance are condition, size, rareness, and chain of ownership. No item may have any restrictions placed on it.  We do not accept items on loan, our insurance does not allow this. Our museums and storage areas are limited and all items that are not accepted will be returned to the donor, if that is their wish.

   We accept photos and scanned items if you do not want to part with the item.

   We are honored to have your trust as caretakers of Kishacoquillas Valley’s history.