Help Improve the Museum Buildings
Help repair our temperature control systems to make the Meeteetse Museums more welcoming to visitors and safer for the artifacts.
As 2025 comes to an end, we at the Meeteetse Museums are grateful for your support this past year. Thanks to you and other supporters, the roof project was completed this year with the installation of solar panels, which are already lowering our electricity bill. Securing the integrity of the main Museum building's roof ensures that our collections and exhibits remain safe and accessible to the public.
Now that the roof is stable once again, other parts of the main Museum building need attention. This building on State Street houses the Charles Belden Museum of Western Photography, the Meeteetse Museum, and the staff office; it is the base of operations for the Meeteetse Museums. It is imperative that this building remain sound so the public can use it and staff can operate from it. The list of repairs we want to complete to improve the flagship Meeteetse Museums building is extensive; the most pressing repairs concern both the preservation of artifacts housed here and those that will enhance the visitor experience.
One of the most important goals is to ensure our two Museum buildings are temperature-controlled. In both the main Museum building and the First National Bank, we have HVAC systems nearing the end of their life. Over the summer, the Bank Museum's air conditioning failed. Thankfully, a repairman was able to get it back up and running, but he warned us that the unit, which he estimated to be from the 80s, needed to be replaced soon. In the main Museum building, a furnace that is supposed to heat the rooms in the northwest section of the building has not worked for years. These rooms house the Belden Darkroom exhibit, the restrooms, and the Yellowstone Greater Ecosystem exhibit. In the winter, the Belden Darkroom has gotten down to 63 degrees; certainly too cold to be comfortable for visitors. These units need to be replaced to ensure both Museum buildings are temperature-controlled, for the benefit of visitors and to preserve the artifacts housed there.
Your year-end donation will support us in starting these and other essential repairs. By giving before December 31st, 2025, you will help the Meeteetse Museums make this public space more welcoming to visitors and safer for the artifacts. Giving Tuesday, held on December 2nd, will kick off this campaign.
We hope you can support these efforts to make the Meeteetse Museums the best small-town museums they can be. Your support is essential to the success of the Museums.
Thank you for your consideration,
Elizabeth M. Foss