Preservation Training and Storage Improvement at the Miramont Castle Museum

FAIN: PG-51821-13

Manitou Springs Historical Society (Manitou Springs, CO 80829-1618)
Rachel Higgins (Project Director: May 2012 to March 2014)

Purchase of storage supplies and environmental monitoring equipment and hiring a consultant to offer training to staff on procedures for rehousing and use of environmental monitors. The Manitou Springs Historical Society in Colorado is housed in the Miramont Castle, which it runs as a historic house museum. The castle was built as a private residence in 1895, and was subsequently run as a tuberculosis sanitarium by the Sisters of Mercy from 1907 to 1928. The collections, which consist of some 18,000 items, include furniture, textiles, photographs, maps, and correspondence and are used to interpret the Victorian-era settling of the town of Manitou Springs, the history of the mineral springs of the area, and the history of mining in the Pikes Peak region.

Manitou Springs Historical Society (MSHS) has a unique collection of 18,000 artifacts pertaining to the settlement of Manitou Springs communities in the 1880s; community building; the history of the mineral springs of the area; the history of Miramont Castle (constructed 1895); artifacts pertaining to the Victorian Era; and medical history of the Sanitarium. These collections are used for exhibits; by scholars for research and publications; by school children, who often come to learn about Victorian culture; for genealogy research; and for Pikes Peak Region land history. This grant will provide funding for training and the establishment, supplies, and implementation of a storage move plan, as well as environmental monitoring training and equipment for the storage facility.