Dear Friends and Custer County Residents

1881 COURTHOUSE MUSEUM CUSTER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY 411 Mt. Rushmore Road - P.O. Box 826 Custer, S.D. 57730 (605) 673- 2443 www.1881courthousemuseum.com

Dear friends and Custer County residents,

Have you visited the Custer County 1881 Courthouse Museum recently? Have you seen our updated exhibits? Have you stopped into our bookstore to see the number of items by local artisans, the books by local authors, and the books of local interest? Things are always changing at the museum.

We have updated our Preservation room including new computer equipment for our dedicated volunteers to use, and are nearing completion of our photo scanning project. We are also digitizing our accession records - a very time consuming project. And we are making progress on much needed building restoration and maintenance. The majority of money for these projects has been obtained through grants.

In addition to our admissions and bookstore sales, we continue to have fund raising events. We had our annual spring rummage sale, the Old Time Country Fair over July 4th, and we recently held an Art Auction with works donated by local and regional artists. However, our expenses still exceed our income by a considerable amount. We have slashed our budget as much as possible. We have utilities, payroll, advertising, office and custodial supplies, and other expenses. And preservation supplies are very expensive.

We are continuing to solicit funds for the Capital Improvement Campaign as well as the Friends of the Museum. However, this year we are emphasizing the Friends of the Museum Fund as we need operating funds to keep our museum open. We truly hope we can count on your financial support. This is your museum. Become a Friend of the Museum.

Sincerely,

1881 Courthouse Museum Board of Trustees

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