These venues have been closed to the public since the lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic began in March. Staffs and volunteers began sanitizing and making preparations when Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced on June 4 that museums could reopen under new regulations to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Gammon House director Dale Henry was excited to give his first tour of the season on Wednesday, June 17. Due to the pandemic, the House’s biggest day of the year in recognition of Juneteenth on Saturday was canceled.
With protests and interest in movements in recent weeks following the death of George Floyd, Henry sees the Gammon House, located at 620 Piqua Place, as a good point to appreciate the area’s contribution to African American history as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
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“We look forward to preserving the history of the Gammon House and continuing to spotlight the contributions of the past,” he said. “We’re all one people and this is trying to tell history in a truthful way.”
The Gammon House added a new banner recognizing Juneteenth and has an event scheduled for Sept. 19 with the dedication of a plaque in celebration of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Visitors are asked to bring a mask or masks and hand sanitizer will be available and the staff does cleaning after visits. Tours are by appointment and suggested admission is $5 adults and $2 children. To schedule a tour, contact Henry at 937-244-2754.
Museum director Cheryl Ogden said attendance has been slow at the Champaign County Historical Society Museum, 809 E. Lawn Ave. in Urbana, which reopened June 10.
In addition to sanitizing, the organization redid its military room exhibit and modified procedures, which can enhance the visitor experience. She hopes attendance will pick up.
Staff is looking for potential programs and has an Octoberfest even scheduled for Oct. 4.
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The museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Visitors are encouraged to wear masks and follow social distancing.
The Westcott House is set to reopen June 27.
Other Springfield museums are targeting mid-summer for potential reopening.
Springfield Museum of Art director Jessimi Jones said they are searching for a date to be determined in July, while Roger Sherrock of Heritage Center of Clark County CEO Roger Sherrock is looking at mid-July.
The Daniel Hertzler House, located in George Rogers Clark Park, 930 S. Tecumseh Rd., was scheduled to reopen Sunday, but has canceled those plans due to concerns about COVID-19, according to Barb Arnold, president of the Hertzler House Activity Committee.
Arnold also cited a lack of qualified docents.
“Some docents are unable to guide tours since there is concern about contracting the virus reputed on the upswing,” she said in an email Friday afternoon. “We hope to be able to offer Hertzler House tours in the future.”
Private tours by appointment will be honored, she said, by calling 937-882-6000.
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