A Community With Country Pride

The Alexis Museum, conceived by Don McKeown who was mayor of Alexis at the 
time, utilizes an historical building as a link to our community’s past. 
When the United Methodist Church congregation disbanded & discarded its 
possessions at auction, the background of the building & congregation itself 
suggested its present use. Since other buildings of historical significance 
had already been demolished or deteriorated beyond repair, the use of the 
church building as a museum for Alexis memorabilia became a conceivable 
option. An agreement with the village board and the church congregation & 
conference allowed the village to purchase the building for a small sum with 
the stipulation that it be used as a museum for at least 25 years.

After the village acquisition of the building, Mr. McKeown contacted several 
community members, set a meeting date, & the Alexis Museum progressed from 
idea to actual fact. The original board members were Bonnie Brown, Don 
McKelvie, Don McKeown, Sara Ann Meyer, Mary Avis Richardson, Charles Rogers, 
Lyle Sedwick, Louis Simpson, Joan Sperry, Dorothy Stevenson, & Diana 
LaMaster.

The first official project of the board was an exhibit in the building for 
Alexis’s 125th celebration. Anyone who had items of Alexis historical 
significance were encouraged to exhibit it on loan for the weekend of the 
celebration. The result was astonishing, giving the Board much hope that 
permanent exhibits were a definite possibility & that there was sufficient 
interest within the community to support a museum.

Since the first temporary exhibit, the Alexis Museum has accepted both loans 
& permanent donations of items pertaining to Alexis community history. The 
exhibits have expanded from 5 empty display cases to 9 full display cases 
with many large items individually displayed. Although the Board has been 
greatly impressed with the amount of donation & loan support from current, 
as well as past, citizens of the community to this point, all loans & 
donations are still appreciated. The board would like also to see an 
increase in visitor attendance support.

The Alexis Museum has at least two fundraisers per year in the form of 
dinners --1 at the beginning of the season & 1 at the end of the season. 
Although the village officially owns the building & pays the utility & 
insurance bills, the Board has accepted the responsibility of the building’s 
upkeep. As most everyone in the area is aware, the roof became the first 
priority. A building with a leaky roof would not help preserve the items 
which were entrusted to the Museum. Unfortunately, a departure from the 
original plans was necessary when the bell tower nearly toppled in severe 
winds. At this point, the roof where the bell tower was located & the entire 
south side have been finished. The north side is on a list with a contractor 
for this spring and/or summer--one corner at a time. It seems like the Board 
has been working on this forever, but the end is in sight now. Next on our 
priority list is a new furnace to heat the upper level, with the option of 
air conditioning to be added at a later date. After these major projects, 
the Board hopes to be able to purchase special storage & materials to help 
preserve all the wonderful items which have been donated to the Museum.


Open April - September
First Sunday of each month
1 - 4 pm
or by appointment


Membership
Annual--$10.00
Lifetime--$50.00

Current Board Members:
Bonnie Brown
Delma Damos
Diana LaMaster
Sara Ann Meyer
Don McKelvie
Mike Caslin
Mary Avis Richardson
Randy Olson
Lyle Sedwick
Marcena Smallwood
Joan Sperry
Dorothy Stevenson