Historic House Museums: Branching Out

by Jody Allen

Historic houses offer visitors an authentic look into the past. Decorated and furnished with historical accuracy, historic houses tend to offer an immersion experience for their visitors. Unfortunately, attendance for historic houses has dwindled over the years and many establishments are looking for unique ways to boost visitation. Here are some innovative tactics that can help remedy low audience numbers.

Local Art

Many historic houses have available, unused rooms. Instead of leaving these rooms vacant, why not offer a place to showcase local artwork? Local art can help bring a different audience into your historic house – an audience that may not otherwise come, or who may not even be aware of your historic site! If the idea of including artwork unrelated to your site doesn’t interest you, consider asking local artists to create pieces inspired by your historic house. Not only would these pieces bring in a new audience, but they would also relate to your establishment. Another art related idea to consider is renting out available rooms to individual artists as studio space. 

Events

Historic houses make great locations to host small outdoor events. If you’re looking to bring in an audience, consider hosting a concert. Something simple that showcases local talent can attract a decent-sized crowd to your location. If money is an issue, charging a small entry-fee could help. Additionally, a “concert on the lawn” where attendees bring their own chairs and blankets alleviates the stress of providing seating. For example, Richmond’s Wilton House Museum is hosting a Jammin’ on the James Concert Series this summer.

In addition to concerts, feel free to explore other outdoor event possibilities. Consider hosting a farmers market, family day, or historic re-enactments.  Anything that can attract new audiences can prove beneficial to your historic house and keep it a relevant component of your community.

Community Partnerships

Interacting with your community is a great way to attract visitors and can lead to steady visitation. Historic houses tend to have plenty of outdoor space that can be used for community-based activities. Offering a community garden is just one way to incorporate members of the community. A community garden can help educate people on proper agriculture practices, as well as help build a stronger community. The strict definition of a community garden is one that is gardened collectively by a group of people. Partnering with a local garden club or a nearby community association can forge new ties in your community that will bear both figurative and literal “fruit.”

If your historic house has neighboring historic houses, you may want to also consider joint-hosting a community walk or other fitness event. These events promote healthy lifestyle choices while educating participants on the history of the area. For example, in Richmond, there is a 10K walk entitled "Go! Discover Richmond" that is run through the city's SportsBackers organization, but partners with sites throughout town. Another, simpler option is making sure you are on your town’s listing sites of interest. For example, visitors to Tappahanock may visit you if you are part of their town walking tour. 

Teachers: Stewards of Future Audiences

If you want to engage younger generations, even if you cannot accommodate large school groups, reach out to teachers in your community. Offer an open house for educators, distribute free passes to staff of your local elementary school, and consider hosting teacher workshops. VAM has a listing of some teacher workshops throughout the state, and many historic houses and small museums cultivate their school relationships directly through building relationships with the teachers. Additionally, reach out to scouting and other youth organizations and see what other community partnerships could develop as you think 'outside' the box and look at both your site's offerings and your community's needs.

Stay Tuned to VAM
We will be hosting a Summer Conservation Series Workshop on the Care of Historic Structures in August. Additionally, we'll be hosting a pre-conference activity on historic houses on Saturday, March 15, 2014 in Alexandria. We'll be announcing more information on that as the time gets closer. Stay tuned! Additionally, Preservation Virginia is planning an event for historic house staff on October 22nd, as a part of their annual conference. More details will be released about that soon as well!