Community Corner

Howard County Historical Society to Revamp Image

The Howard County Historical Society wants to be more relevant.

The Howard County Historical Society is trying to change its image from a group that caters to older residents with historic homes to one that is more interactive and attractive to students, young families and residents from other countries, its leaders say.

“We’re trying to raise ourselves from a stagnant state that we’ve been languishing in for the past few years,” said Lauren McCormack, who has been the executive director of the Howard County Historical Society since fall 2010.

“We’re very good at programs that reach people with no kids, who are in their 50s, 60s, 70s or 80s who will come out on a Sunday afternoon and are members,” she told a meeting of the Elkridge Heritage Society on Tuesday. “We need to work on our programs for families with children that are fun and invite conversations.”

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McCormack said that just as in other areas of the county, getting Elkridge residents interested in local history is a challenge.

The county’s historical society has approximately 300 members, she explained, but most don’t pay regular visits to the library, archives and museum, which are located up a hill from Ellicott City’s Main Street. The people who do are individuals that live in historic houses or are interested in genealogy, she said.

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in December 2011 should help expand the historical society’s audience, said McCormack. But the organization also has a plan in place to create programs geared toward students and the immigrant population.

“People think we’re an Ellicott City historical society,” added McCormack. “What we’re trying to do now is expand our scope to fully cover the county.” 

One way she hopes to change the perception of the group is by partnering with organizations like the Elkridge Heritage Society.

“With the budgets the way they are and with visitation the way it is, I think the only way to be successful is to work together,” she said.

More than anything, McCormack emphasized the need to be relevant. She said that the historical society is currently reviewing its inventory.

“Right now, it’s an interesting collection of items,” she said. “But if you aren’t familiar with streets or stores that were in Howard County 60 years ago, are you going to find interest?”

She cited research from the consumer strategy firm Reach Advisors that found that families visiting a museum want to engage in an activity together that they can talk about after they leave.

Playing on that, the Elkridge Heritage Society brainstormed ways to make its history interactive. Sandy Grabowski, secretary of the group, suggested trivia, and the group agreed it should dig out its old game of Elkridge Monopoly.

“Our collection sounds a whole lot like yours,” said Dave Grabowski, president of the Elkridge Heritage Society, comparing the Elkridge artifacts with the county’s. “It was bits and pieces that were relevant 60 years ago—what they [a group of citizens who founded the society] thought was important at the time.”


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