Plans underway to create museum inside courthouse

Tammy Helm/Tribune photo On Aug. 11, members of the Historic Preservation Association of Bourbon County presented a plan for placing historic exhibits in the courthouse to Bourbon County Commissioners. Pictured from left are: HPA members Shane Walker, Arnold Schofield, Lora Holdridge, Rhonda Dunn, Third District Commissioner Harold Coleman and First District Commissioner Lynne Oharah.

When the Bourbon County Commissioners meet today, they will be continuing a discussion begun on Aug. 11 about the establishment of historic displays in the courthouse.

Historic Preservation Association (HPA) of Bourbon County members on Aug. 11 asked county commissioners for the blessings on moving forward with creating pocket museums in the courthouse.

"We have met and come up with a plan and done a little bit of the initial legwork," HPA president Rhonda Dunn said.

She said the group is asking for the commissioners' permission to begin the work, which would also entail painting in some areas of the courthouse.

Eventually, each of the three floors of the courthouse will have displays.

"But we would like to start with the first floor, finish it, then move to the next so we don't have a hodge-podge going," Dunn said.

First District Commissioner Lynne Oharah said he would like to see the floors stripped and waxed before displays are set up. Dunn said even though courthouse maintenance supervisor David Neville was not attending the meeting, "he is in the loop for sure."

HPA member Shane Walker said they have met with Neville and discussed relocating the vending machines.

"In general, we're looking at creating pocket museums on the different floors," Dunn said.

The displays will be located in the foyer, north and south hallways and wall space on the first floor.

"The first floor would be dedicated to bigger items, bigger pictures," Dunn said.

Dunn said they would like to display Judge Harry Fisher's carriage, an 1840s post office desk, and Fort Scott advertising China in the foyer. The south hall could be the Hall of Honor with military and veterans' exhibits and the north hall leading to the elevator could be murals depicting historic downtown Fort Scott scenes.

On the second floor, displays dedicated to each city in Bourbon County would be located in the foyer and north hallway, where the Department of Motor Vehicles was located before it moved to a second floor office.