In order to fulfill the mission of preserving history for the public, we both need monetary and material donations. Do you have family photos to share? Do you have pictures of parades, events, clubs, and people with their businesses or homes? Do you know the stories of the people in those photos? Did someone in your family write a family history of a local family? Do you have items that advertise area businesses, were used by a business, or have some other significance to the people of East Troy & our community history? Maybe you don’t have items to share but would like to know another way that you could participate in preserving our community’s roots.
What will we do with your donations?
- Buy preservation materials such as special containers, dehumidifiers, environmental monitors or other things that are essential in preserving artifacts from decay
- Pay the bills for heat, light, air conditioning, water … all those things that keep our doors open for FREE to the community. These environmental conditions are also essential for keeping artifacts safe.
- Maintain spaces and equipment for members to share their projects with the community – our members are continually doing projects and making presentations that share fascinating facts about what was here and who lived here, and how their lives are different from today. We share many of these projects for free to groups.
- School programs! We host all the community schools at our center or go into their classrooms for free!
- Teach the next generation how to care for artifacts and use them in education – we train our members and volunteers, but also host interns from area colleges for work experience.
- Use them to help people! If you give us copies of your photos, memoirs, event programs, or artifacts from local businesses and community organizations we will share them with the whole community where they can do the most good! We accept donations that are significant to the research of East Troy area communities.
Donating can be as easy as going through Amazon’s Smile website! Do you purchase on Amazon.com? (Free shipping, good prices, trusted sellers – if you don’t, check it out.) All you have to do to donate money for our community is to type in smile.amazon.com when you start your shopping and select “East Troy Area Historical Society” as your benefiting organization. Start with smile.amazon.com every time you shop and Amazon will give us a percent of their sale every single time!
We also appreciate donations of time, items for events, dinner events, and the recurring membership donations of our supporting members. The best way to stay informed is to apply for membership and give us your email — you will get monthly updates and bi-annual newsletters, as well as invitations to all of our events. Thank you for your continuing membership support!
Monetary Donations
We sincerely appreciate donations of any amount. We are an accredited 501(c)(3) charity organization and all donations are tax deductible. Use the Donate button below to get started!
Museum Donor Categories*
| John Fox (“Bowie Knife”) Potter Partner | $10,000 + |
| Eugene Wilder Chafin Patron | $5,000 – $9,999 |
| Samuel Burgit Associate | $1,000 – $4,999 |
| Major Mecham Society | $500 – $999 |
| President’s Circle | $250 – $499 |
| Founders’ Club | $100 – $249 |
| Contributor’s Square | up to $100 |
Room Dedications*
| East Troy Room (Display) | $25,000 |
| Library | $25,000 Dedicated Not Available |
| Map Room (Display) | $25,000 |
| Wisconsin Room (Media) | $25,000 |
* All Museum Building donors will have their names entered in the East Troy Area Historical Society Honor Roll. Donors of $100 or more can be included on the East Troy Area Historical Society Donor Tree at the museum. Please specify your desire to be added to the donor tree, as the original campaign has ended.
Material Donations
We accept donations of historic items based on our “Acquisitions Policy“. Please read through it and use the “Find Us” link to make the donation or write:
ETAHS
PO Box 722
East Troy, WI 53120
You may also like to get involved by donating items frequently needed or giving your time. Please see the “Get Involved” page for more ideas.
For a special memorial or dedication, join our donor tree or sponsor a room. More information available on the “Capital Campaign” section.