Seymour Museum Center 2023 membership drive begins

Seymour Museum Center board President Len Hauersperger recently announced the start of the 2023 membership drive.

The goal is to bring existing and new members to the center as work begins on the restoration and remodeling of the old Federal Building on the corner of Third and Chestnut streets in downtown Seymour.

The museum has been working for some time to return the building to use as a museum to highlight the Welch telephone collection and other historic artifacts and mementos from Seymour’s history.

While the museum has been open for occasional special shows and events, when the current work is completed, the hope is that the building will be open on a regular basis and for special events and tours.

The Seymour City Council’s approval of more than $229,000 for the museum through the American Rescue Plan grant will go toward restoration of the second floor to house model trains and layouts and the first floor to include a welcome center, a gift shop and a large exhibition hall. Members will have discounts and special events available.

Memberships are $15 for senior citizens ages 65 and older, $35 for an individual or $75 for a family (two adults and two children). Those include a quarterly newsletter, a 10% discount on gift shop items, free tours, advance announcements of upcoming events and a membership card mailed as acknowledgement and pride for supporting a local nonprofit.

A business membership is available for $125. That includes two individual memberships, a quarterly newsletter, a 50% discount on event sponsorships, a 1.5-by-1.5 advertisement on one quarterly newsletter and two social media posts on the museum’s Facebook page.

Anyone interested in becoming a member can contact Hauersperger by emailing [email protected] or Treasurer Bob Kamman by emailing [email protected].