Museums generate interest, not money

Local museums, whether they're privately funded or funded by a municipality, such as the four museums in the city of Florence, are not normally known for being revenue-generating operations.

What they are known for is providing a glimpse into an area's past and a means of preserving its history and heritage.

While there are several small museums in the Shoals, the city of Florence has the only museums that are wholly funded by a municipality.

The Tennessee Valley Art Center and Ivy Green, the birthplace of Helen Keller, are both in Tuscumbia and are privately funded.

The Alabama Music Hall of Fame in Tuscumbia, which houses a variety of items related to the state's music history, is maintained by the state and the revenue that's generated by the museum itself.

Muscle Shoals Sound Studios Historic Museum in Sheffield is privately owned.

Muscle Shoals City Clerk Ricky Williams said there is a small collection of items related to the history of Muscle Shoals, presidential visits, the history of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Shoals music industry, inside Muscle Shoals City Hall. Other than that, there are no museums in the city.

Dan Barger, Florence's general fund accountant, said the city's museums, Pope's Tavern, the Indian Mound Museum, the W.C. Handy Home and Museum and the Rosenbaum Home, the only structure in the state designed by noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright, collectively earn about $43,000 each year.

It costs the city about $290,000 annually to maintain the museums, Barger said.

The major expenses include utilities, employees, telephone service and office supplies.

Barger said it's common for museums to earn less than what it takes to operate them.

"That's been my experience with them," Barger said.

Barbara Broach, arts and museums director for Florence, said museums are a magnet for attracting people to the city.

"They're just a real important piece of our heritage," Broach said.

A visitor to Florence can use the city's museums to trace the city's history, beginning with the earliest residents, American Indians, through the '40s and '50s with the Rosenbaum house.

"All of our history, our artifacts and information is all preserved in our museums," Broach said.

While the museums might cost more to operate than they earn, Broach pointed out that they make up for that in attracting visitors to the city who might spend the night in a local motel, eat at a local restaurant, purchase fuel for their vehicle and possibly shop while they're in town.

Mary Settle Cooney, director of the Tennessee Valley Art Center, said the center is as much a museum as an art center, and is considering a name change to reflect that.

"We've grown into a museum," Cooney said.

Unlike the municipally funded Florence museums, TVAC is a nonprofit organization that is funded by grants, fundraising events, organization memberships and individual and corporate support.

The center has a volunteer board and any surplus that remains at the end of the year is placed back into the organization.

"You don't really make a profit," Cooney said. "You hope you end up with a surplus, and the next year you hope you don't have to use the surplus."

A surplus is a good thing to have because arts centers and museums can suffer during slow economic periods, Cooney said.

Sue Pilkilton, executive director of Ivy Green in Tuscumbia, said the nonprofit museum normally has money left over at the end of the year.

"We've been fortunate," Pilkilton said. "We've had a wonderful season. We've always been in the black. We have a very conservative board. They watch our money very closely."

What helps the Keller birthplace is repeat visitors who will bring a new patron with them.

Because Keller is known throughout the world for her accomplishments, Pilkilton said the museums gets visitors from all over the world. Because it is a nonprofit organization, Pilkilton said the museum will open at odd hours to accommodate groups of visitors. The museum recently opened at 8:30 a.m. to allow visitors from a river barge excursion to tour the home.

"The admission charged here is for the upkeep of the home, so we have to rely on visitors," she said.

Susann Hamlin, executive director of the Colbert County Tourism and Convention Bureau, said the area's museums are important to the Shoals' overall tourism package, regardless of whether they earn money or not. She said Colbert Tourism promotes the museums in Colbert County and Florence because the longer people stay in the area, the better it is for the Shoals economy.

Hamlin said attractions such as the Coon Dog Cemetery, the Edith Culver Museum in Waterloo and Red Bay Museum in Red Bay can be incorporated into a tour along with the museums in the four cities.

"We can put together a three-day tour and keep people busy, and they will be interested while they're here," Hamlin said.

Russ Corey can be reached at 740-5738 or russ.corey@TimesDaily.com.