About the Cordova Historical Society
History
In the early 1960s, Fr. Glen Wilcox of the St. George’s Episcopal Church had a Keen interest in History. He started a weekly radio program called “Looking Backwards.” It was a combination of discussion, monologue, and interviews about Cordova’s history and the Prince William Sound area.
Fr. Wilcox was instrumental in getting a group of people together to form the Cordova Historical Society. The certificate of Incorporation was signed on April 5, 1966, and the first official meeting was on May 12, 1966. There were thirteen charter members, and Pete Loveseth was elected the first president.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Alaska’s purchase from Russia, the state of Alaska and the Federal Government joined forces to implement a year of Celebration and Historical recognition throughout the state. The Cordova Centennial Committee erected a museum building as its main effort. During the beginning of the Cordova Historical Society, the collection was stored in the First Bank of Cordova, with permission of the Dick Borer. By January 1967, plans for a 40’x45’ building, funded by the State Centennial Commission, the City of Cordova, and in-kind donations of labor and materials. Later, the Library wing was added to the building.
On January 21, 1969, the Cordova Historical Society held its first meeting in the new building. Glenn Mast was named volunteer director of the museum. During the early years, the museum was run entirely by volunteers. Members donated a lot of time to its development. Corrine Erickson, city librarian, would come down the hall from the library to open the museum to visitors.
As more and more items were collected, cases were donated or built by volunteers. Members attended workshops and conventions to learn more about the museum’s workings.
In 1972, it was becoming more apparent that visitors to our town wanted to know about our history. The state division of tourism supplied a small grant that enabled the museum to have its first paid employee, Astrid Sandstorm, museum attendant. To maintain wages for the museum attendant position, the Cordova Historical Society got the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act grant, and later, the City of Cordova started funding the position.
As the Museum continued to grow, we added three additional paid positions: Museum Director, Museum Curator, and cultural leader.
As of 2015, the museum is now located in the Cordova Center on First St., along with the Library, NorthStar Theater, and city hall. The Cordova Center was built with local community support and donations, grants from the State, Federal grants, Funds from the City of Cordova, and the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council.
The Museum Currently displays various exhibits on the First People, Russian Contact, the Fishing industry, Mining history, the St Elias Lighthouse, and the 1981 Valdez Oil Spill.
Mission
The Cordova Historical Society collects, preserves, interprets, exhibits and researches objects and works of art which represent the history and cultural background of Cordova, Copper River, Kennecott, Katalla, Prince William Sound, and adjacent areas in order to educate and to promote historical knowledge.
What We Do
The Society oversees the policies governing the collection and provides support for preservation of artifacts, research, and interpretation of the collection. The Society owns the collection, which is made available to the public through the Cordova Historical Museum.
Financial Support
The Society collects donations and receives the proceeds from the museum store.
Funds raised from the store and donations are returned directly toward Museum operations, conservation of the collection, new acquisitions, and collection storage.
Partnership with City of Cordova
The City of Cordova has supported the Cordova Historical Museum since 1967, when they helped build the Centennial building, our first home. In the early days of the museum, when it was staffed by volunteers, the library staff would open and close the museum for visitors. As the museum continued to grow, the city agreed to assist it by paying one staff member to open and run the daily operations.
In 1992, the museum and city signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to solidify the partnership built over the previous 25 years. MOU laid out each organization’s responsibilities to support the museum’s mission and vision. Since then, the museum staff, city managers, and community have collaborated to create the Cordova Center, where the museum, library, NorthStar theater, and city hall now reside.
Staff
Ashley Bivin, Museum Director, abivin@cityofcordova.net
Jamie Foode, Curator of Collections and Exhibits, jfoode@cityofcordova.net
Paula Payne, Cultural Leader, paula@cordovalibrary.org
Dania Neal, Museum Assistant, dneal@cityofcordova.net
Board
President: Barclay Kopchak
Vice President: Monika Reghetti
Secretary: Cathy Pegau
Treasurer: John Stack
Trustee: Tamara Russin
Trustee: Wendy Ranney
Trustee: Teal Webber Hansen
Join Us!
It’s easy to become a member of the Society and
members receive a 10% discount in the museum store.
Board and Membership
The Historical Society is an avid group of folks who want to preserve Cordova’s past for the future!
Seven trustees serve on the Cordova Historical Society Board. Elected by the membership, the trustees set policy, fundraise, and recruit new members.
A member of the Society is appointed by the Cordova City Council to serve on the Historic Preservation Commission.
Membership meetings are held at 5:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. Meetings are held in the upper level of the Cordova Center. The public is welcome.