Five Questions With: William F. Hanna

"Among my highest priorities as president will be to ensure that our professionals have both the latitude and resources to exercise their professional judgment in implementing the strategic plan."

William F. Hanna, president of the Old Colony Historical Society’s board of directors in Taunton, was elected to his post on April 16. He has taught students and supervised social studies curriculum in the Taunton public school system for 37 years. For much of the past 30 years, he also has served as visiting lecturer in history at Bridgewater State University and at other colleges. He specializes in New England history, and has published “Abraham among the Yankees: Abraham Lincoln’s 1848 Visit to Massachusetts” and “A History of Taunton, Massachusetts.” Here he discusses upcoming new developments for the nonprofit.

PBN: A name change is coming for the nonprofit. Tell us about it.
HANNA:
Our parent organization will remain the Old Colony Historical Society, but beginning in June, we will do business as the Old Colony History Museum.
This continues a trend among similar organizations that began a couple of decades ago, and we’re undertaking it for two reasons. First, over the course of our 163-year history, we have built an impressive collection of objects related to local and regional history. We want more people to see and enjoy this collection and so we are devoting more time and resources to marketing the museum.
Second, in the 21st century, we want potential museum-goers to think of us as something more than a “society.” That word has a passive connotation that is at odds with what we’re trying to do. We see our museum as an active, energetic place with something for everybody interested in the past.
Sadly, for more than 150 years, the Old Colony Historical Society has been seen by many as stodgy, elitist and unwelcoming. That has not been the case for many years, and now we are about to embark on an energetic, comprehensive and enthusiastic campaign to reverse that image.

PBN: Since your strategic plan describes the museum as the “centerpiece” for historical collections, tell us about some of the highlights.
HANNA:
Housed in a former private academy built in 1852, we have particularly strong collections relating to textiles, silver and “militaria” gathered from throughout southeastern Massachusetts. Although the objects in our collection range in age from the 17th to the 21st centuries, our focus has been on the 18th and 19th centuries, when the Taunton River Valley was a vibrant industrial, transportation and commercial center.
Our immediate challenge is to utilize our exhibit space in ways that make it possible for us to bring more of our collection into public view.
In addition to the objects in our museum collection, our significant archival and library holdings make us one of the most comprehensive research facilities in the area. We have manuscripts dating from the early 17th century relating to settlement, warfare, shipping on the Taunton River, the coming of industrialization and many other subjects. In many cases we are able to complement the information in our archives with actual objects from the museum collection.
Finally, we have a comprehensive genealogical library that includes both archival and printed material. We are fortunate to have a full time archivist/library manager on hand to assist researchers who contact us, either in person or by mail.

PBN: As the new president, how will you apply the strategic plan to instill growth?
HANNA:
I see the implementation of the strategic plan as a collaborative effort among our officers, Board members, staff and volunteers.
Within that context, I have three priorities as president. First, our organization recruits Board members based on their special areas of interest or expertise, and I see them as critical to our success. Within the Board, we operate on a committee system that addresses issues such as personnel, collections, buildings and grounds, development, etc. One of my principal roles will be to clarify the goals outlined in the strategic plan and act as a resource as well as a liaison between these committees and our museum’s director to both formulate and implement change.
Second, our organization is very fortunate to have a dedicated, hard-working staff. Among my highest priorities as president will be to ensure that our professionals have both the latitude and resources to exercise their professional judgment in implementing the strategic plan.
Finally, the next five years will see more change in our organization than was seen in the 160 years that came before. We will devote considerable time and resources to introducing the Old Colony History Museum to a wider audience throughout southeastern Massachusetts. One of my most important responsibilities as president will be to act as the “public face” of that effort and, through an energetic, inclusive message, help the museum reach the potential envisioned in the strategic plan.

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PBN: How will you create the organization’s first “pop-up” museum on May 9?
HANNA:
One of our main goals is to expand our offerings into the community and grow our museum into a dynamic, engaging space where all people can find something that interests them. This means we will be trying some new things in the coming months, and one of these is a Pop-up Museum.
This concept originated with the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History and has expanded to museums across the country.
A pop-up museum is a temporary exhibit created by the participants, usually lasting about two or three hours. Its purpose is to provide an avenue for conversation around a topic through objects and their stories. It’s a great way to get to know your neighbors and your city, and it is fun!
Our theme is: Memories of Shopping in Downtown Taunton. People are encouraged to call or email us to sign up and then bring an object of their own connected to this theme to our museum. Our facilitators will help them write labels, display the object, and talk about its importance. Then, the public is invited to come by and view all of the objects together and share in the process.
It is a participatory experience that allows members of the community to be a part of creating a community exhibit. We hope that people come and get involved and we think it will be a lot of fun.

PBN: What are your key fundraising and membership goals for 2015?
HANNA:
In terms of fund-raising, we have never had a clear, well formulated fund-raising strategy, so our first priority is to develop one. We will be fund-raising to support some exciting initiatives, including new exhibit galleries, interactive display stations for children, and wider educational outreach to the underserved segments of the region’s population. We think that there are individuals and institutions that will be willing to help us reach our goals, but first we must identify them and involve them in what we hope to do.
Regarding membership, we are in the process of hiring a part-time community outreach person as part of our goal to become a more dynamic regional presence. While we certainly want to increase our membership base, active participation and engagement by more people in a calendar of varied and fun events is our first priority. We believe that if we can achieve this, membership increases will take care of themselves.

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