November 10, 2011  - We have a current need for a Youth Activities Coordinator. Please call or come by 1881Courthouse Museum for more information.  If you are interested in this opportunity please contact Director Sandy Ackman.

                          The Museum is looking for your help                                   

 The 1881 Courthouse Museum is rebuilding their volunteer program and expanding volunteer opportunities to more than greeting people at the door and working in the bookstore. Some of the new opportunities that are available for people are:  helping with rotating displays throughout the year, preservation project,  leading group tours,  special events, children activities coordinator for the Old Time Country Fair, youth activities and assisting in the office.

A good time for prospective volunteers to step foreword to became a Museum Docent. A Docent is a volunteer who assists with Museum operations. People don't have to worry about not knowing as much as they would like to know about the history of Custer County and the 1881 Courthouse Museum.

 Volunteer opportunities for Middle  School students this year are to be a part of the “Behind the Scenes” program. This program gives students opportunities to learn about  Custer's History and gain skills through community service. The students will learn to work with others.  They will create displays, do research and provide guest relations. They also can volunteer to help with the Museum's  Youth Activities.  Students will greet visitors, help with  bookstore operations, have office assignments and assist with special events. Through this experience,  students enjoyed being behind the scenes at the museum to see how things work.

So be a part of the 1881 Courthouse Museum volunteer staff by calling  the Museum and ask for Sandy at 673-2443 or e-mail info@1881courthousemuseum (copy/paste Volunteer Form). Through this experience volunteers will enjoy learning about Custer County and the Black Hills history.

Preservation Project

For the last several years some dedicated folks have been working to scan, categorize and accession the items at the museum. It is a huge job but progress is being made.  We can use you help – in two ways.

First, we need some volunteers to help sort and categorize items and newspaper articles. Just a couple hours a week would help immensely. Let Sandy Ackman know (673-2443) or call Helen Carney (673-4586) if you would like to help. No previous experience is necessary – we will get you up to speed.

Second, we are augmenting our photo archives for Custer County and Custer City. Many of you have older photos of places and people that are part of our history. We would like to borrow them from you so we can scan them into the computer. In particular, we would like pictures of the early days of Custer County communities, ranches or mines. In return, we could download the scanned photos for you onto a medium you provide. As soon as we have scanned the photos, we would return them to you. Any stories or facts pertaining to these photos would also be of great interest to us.  Let either Sandy or Helen know and they will make the necessary arrangements to get the photos.