Old Courthouse Inc

Update 12-15-2025:

Good Day Supporters,

We have incredible news! Thanks to your generosity, we have officially crossed the $2,000 threshold!

We are so grateful to everyone who has donated. Your support proves that the Douglas County Museum of History and Art is a vital part of this community.

However, we still have a mountain to climb to reach our $7,500 goal.

As mentioned in our story, we are operating without the Hotel-Motel tax funds we previously relied on. Right now, our dedicated staff is working without salary to keep the doors open for students and visitors, but we cannot sustain this indefinitely.

Your continued support is needed immediately to help cover:

Preservation: Protecting over 8,000 historical items that are at risk of deterioration.

Operations: Covering essential maintenance and costs to ensure we remain open for daily visitors.

Education: Ensuring we can continue hosting local school field trips.

We need to close the gap to ensure our history survives to see 2026. Please share this link with your friends and family, or consider making a donation to help us reach the next milestone.

Let's keep history moving forward!

With gratitude,

Susanne Hudson Old Courthouse Inc.

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12-05-2025

Hi, I’m Susanne Hudson, and I am writing to you with an urgent plea for the Douglas County Museum of History and Art.

We are currently facing a critical financial emergency. For over two years, the Museum has not received Hotel-Motel tax funds from the Board of Commissioners. This loss of funding has pushed our operations to the brink, and we need your help immediately.

Why We Need You Now: Despite this severe lack of funding, our commitment to Douglas County has not wavered. We continue to open our doors to visitors and local schools every single day. This is only possible because our key members and dedicated volunteers are currently working with zero salary. They show up every day out of love for this community and its history, but we cannot sustain this without support.

What is at Stake? We are the guardians of over 8,000 historical items. These are not just objects; they are the physical memory of our citizens. Without immediate funding to continue necessary conservation work and facility maintenance, this valuable history is at risk of permanent deterioration.

We must raise these funds before the end of the year to save the collection and ensure the museum survives to see 2026.

Donation Levels Please consider donating at one of the following impact levels. Every dollar goes directly to keeping our doors open and our history safe.

$5,000 — The Legacy Guardian: Vital support to secure the building's operations and fund major conservation efforts for our rarest artifacts.

$2,500 — The Community Pillar: Covers essential monthly operational costs, ensuring we remain open for student tours and visitors.

$1,000 — The History Keeper: Directly funds the preservation materials needed to protect our 8,000+ items from deterioration.

$500 — Education Advocate: Sponsors the resources needed to host local school field trips.

$250 — Museum Sustainer: Helps cover daily costs of operations.

$50 — Friend of History: Every contribution helps us reach our year-end goal!

Please help us keep Douglas County’s history alive. Donate and share today.