Keeping Doors Open Costs $800 a Day
Festival goers, school children, tourists and Geauga County residents hike around Century Village Museum every year, absorbing the joys and trials of pioneer living and admiring thousands of artifacts in the historic buildings.
Festival goers, school children, tourists and Geauga County residents hike around Century Village Museum every year, absorbing the joys and trials of pioneer living and admiring thousands of artifacts in the historic buildings.
What they don’t see, however, is the red ink flowing just under the surface of the museum in Burton Village.
Keeping the doors open for the 62-acre museum and 29 buildings costs roughly $800 per day.
Geauga County Historical Society Treasurer Jim Vinecourt, sitting in the tiny office space above the Crossroads Store, recently laid out some of the expenses that have drained much of the society’s Cleveland Foundation endowment over the last decade.
The electric bill, alone, is about $1,300 per month so the delicate artifacts housed in the old buildings — from century-old fabrics to letters written with quill pens dipped in ink — don’t deteriorate, he said.
Insurance on more than 500,000 items is an additional cost, plus liability coverage for events.
Full-time maintenance workers Bill Troyer and a helper take care of the animals, paint and repair the structures and keep the grounds trimmed. Troyer has been working on the grounds for 42 years, Jim said.
As expenses mounted up over years, the society started paying for them with its seed money.
A previous GCHS board and administration used much of the Cleveland Foundation endowment to keep the lights on, Jim said.
“Originally, the endowment was more than $300,000. They were pulling so much out for the last 10 years, it’s now down to about $130,000,” he said.
His wife, Jill Vinecourt, patron and volunteer, said she and Jim have been working with the society to get the museum back on solid fiscal ground.
That included whittling the number of liens against the society from 15 to 10, Jim said.
“$300,000 a year is not a lot of money to run an enterprise this size,” Jill said.
The Vinecourts have five businesses, including Vinecourt Landscaping Inc. in Burton. When Jim took over as GCHS treasurer in October 2023, he saw it would be a challenge to save the museum.
“They’ve been in trouble a long time. It was overwhelming,” Jill said, noting Jim donates to Century Village Museum every month and society members all receive the annual financial report.
“We’ve spent this whole year mending fences and bridges,” she added.
A letter to the editor in the Aug. 15 Geauga County Maple Leaf from former society director Bill Jackson said transparency could convince the community of the need for more reliable funding.
His letter cited a WEWS Channel 5 Aug. 5 report on Century Village’s plight and he suggested “…historical societies are meeting with falling monetary support, attendance, volunteerism and community interest.”
The museum is a nonprofit, but the society, which owns it, is a business and supporters need access to audits, current financial numbers and a proposed budget for the future so they begin to trust the management of the museum, said Jackson, who was privy to the museum’s financial situation as far back as 2018.
The board and staff are working to bring more events to the museum and hoping that will generate more revenue.
They hired Stefanie O’Connor as museum curator, archivist and grant writer in February. As she watched Troyer paint a building, she noted she is paid for 25 hours per week and donates between 50 and 75 hours to her job.
“I instantly fell in love with this place. I saw a good vision of what it can be,” O’Connor said.
Jim gestured to the wooded valley to the east and south of the buildings that makes up the rest of the museum grounds.
“It’s a gem in Geauga County. This is a $10 million view. Developers would love to get their greedy little hands on it,” he said.
Jill said she first heard the museum was broke and might have to close in 2018.
“COVID didn’t help, either,” she said.
However, to keep some cash in the till, society interim President Linda Taurisano saw an opportunity during the pandemic when gatherings were forbidden.
“She started drive-through pancake breakfasts. It helped keep the doors open,” Jill said.
Since the WEWS segment, the community has started to come together to support Century Village Museum with volunteers, donations and another endowment may be in the works, Jill said during a phone interview Aug. 25.
“Jim and I see some light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “There’s hope we’re going to pull this off.”
Plans for the museum’s survival include getting part of it established as a Federal Historic Site on the National Registry. Several of the buildings — Umberfield Cabin, the Cook House, the Hitchcock House, the white barn and the Hickox House — may qualify because they were originally located in Burton Village, although they may have been moved to the museum grounds, Jill said.
A documentary by Empowered is also scheduled to be filmed at the museum and syndicated, showcasing the “living museum.”
Jill said the documentary, hosted by Meg Ryan, could reach 65 million viewers. She noted Ryan would not be visiting, just doing the voice-over.
One goal in the mission to save Century Village is rebuilding the Cleveland Foundation endowment using the interest to help keep the museum open, Jill said.
“If we can make this place self-sustaining, we will always have a place where the history of Geauga County lives,” Jill said. “If we close the doors, it’s done.”
The society is adding events and speakers all the time.
The Steampunk Festival held Aug. 24 and 25 included shows, bands, vendors and a pirate dinner theater, among other attractions.
For the remainder of 2024, there is something going on most weekends.
A balloon festival is slated for Sept. 14 and 15, the annual apple butter festival Oct. 12 and 13, ghost walk tours Oct. 25, 26 and 27, trick or treat Oct. 31, and Back in Time Christmas tours Nov. 29 through Dec. 1.
Monthly speakers include “Native Americans in Geauga County” Sept. 22 and mourning clothes and customs Oct. 27.
According to its website, the Geauga County Historical Society and the Century Village Museum are not government funded. It is a registered nonprofit that relies solely on events, memberships, donations and fundraisers. Earnings go directly back into the upkeep of Century Village and preservation of Geauga County’s history.
ANN WISHART/KMG
Geauga County Historical Society Treasurer Jim Vinecourt stands on the porch of the Cook House, a 218-year-old structure, in the Century Village Museum in Burton Village. The museum is in need of financial support and the community is stepping up with it, he said.
ANN WISHART/KMG
Bill Troyer paints the trim on a building in the Century Village Museum. He has been maintaining the facility for 42 years, said Geauga County Historical Society Treasurer Jim Vinecourt. Also pictured is Stefanie O’Connor, museum curator, archivist and grant writer hired in February.
