Newsworthy: Historical Society Museum Progressing with Addition of New Coordinator
- Dustin Todd Rennells
- Jul 16
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 17
from the Marshall Democrat-News
June 11, 2025
By Sarah Gray/Managing Editor
All Photos by Sarah Gray
Full Article: https://www.marshallnews.com/historical-society-museum-progressing-with-addition-of-new-curator/
The Buckner Building, on the northeast corner of the Marshall square, has seen some change over the years. Many long-time residents have fond memories of it as Gamble’s and then Silverthorn’s – walking in for furniture and appliances, taking the staircase on the right to the second floor to see more merchandise on display.
Soon, residents and visitors will be walking in again. This time, not to purchase goods. But instead, to look at hundreds of donated items that have historical significance to the area.
For the past two years, the Saline County Historical Society and a handful of volunteers have diligently been renovating the building. From first stepping foot into a, basically, vacated structure to just last month having the detailed lighting installed and carpeting placed, the steps to open a museum are quickly developing.
On Thursday, May 29, several board members toured the main floor with their newly hired coordinator, who will assist them in putting the museum together. Thanks to a $15,000 matching grant from Missouri Humanities, the historical society was able to bring in Dustin Rennells, of Chillicothe, through the end of the year.
“What I think is interesting about a museum, is to say history never changes, but you can change how you tell the story, how you present it,” Rennells stated.
That is what he focuses on at the Grand River Historical Society Museum, where he served on the board of directors prior to taking on the role as museum curator and executive director. His background from art preservation to teacher to bakery owner has centered around education, presentation and service. Those were qualities SCHS board members appreciated in their search.
“We needed someone really knowledgeable to help put things together,” board member Kathy Green noted. “Mary (Bays) has made huge strides down here, but there’s a lot more to do. And we thought ‘how do we do it quickly, professionally?’”
The renovated basement is brimming with items and storage pieces, and thousands of books and paper documents – some of the books so old they can no longer be handled. Bays, Vickie Johnson, Phyllis Moore and several others have spent months laboriously organizing.
Rennells lauded the work SCHS members have done so far. “What they’re doing, which I think is very smart, is each person has a focus and an interest … Everyone’s doing a great job in their avenue and moving forward,” Rennells said. “What they’re doing right now is inventory and listing everything. The other way is to put everything out and do that afterwards, but that is the backwards way to do it. They’re doing it right.
“One thing that’s really great is every single thing has such a connection to the area. Everything has a story, which is very important,” Rennells continued. “Some museums will put something out because it’s historical, but not really to the local area.”
Rennells stated the Saline County Historical Society has been finding the deep connections and stories for every item in their collection. “It is more work, but well worth it,” he said. “I’m just glad I can help along the way.”
Downstairs, detailed paintings are being catalogued while other items are being cleaned and sorted. A scale replica of Pennytown Church, period-piece clothing, frames upon frames of documents. Upstairs, a feature piece is carefully stored: a display of taxidermied birds – yes, birds – that date back to the Civil War. That story is a surprising adventure on one of Saline County’s waterways.
“The main focus is, we have gotten this grant from Missouri Humanities, we have got Dustin now, and Mary is closer and closer to her ideal of getting things catalogued – so we want to start thinking about what we want to put out as displays,” Green stated.
The Humanities grant provided $15,000 toward an interim coordinator, with the historical society contributing $9,000 in funding and $6,000 of in-kind work, which they have far surpassed. Green noted this is the most movement the historical society has seen in 20-30 years.
The magnitude of renovations to the main floor, the basement and the exterior of the building are vast. With the building itself being a historical structure in Marshall’s downtown area, board members wanted to ensure it remains structurally sound.
Tuckpointing has continued on the exterior of the building, while Board President Jack Harvey, Lee Reagles and a host of volunteers have transformed the interior. Plaster has been scraped from the massive brick walls, the ceiling refinished, electrical work completed, and carpet tiles installed. Barn wood is also a featured part of the museum’s design on the main floor.
“Before we had really got going on this, there had been a lot of work done in the basement and (main floor),” Harvey noted, saying he hopes they can have exhibits and a soft opening by the end of October.
Harvey anticipates researching and acquiring future grants for the next phase, which is to remodel the second floor. That phase of renovations will require securing engineers and architects. For now, the group is ecstatic that they are reaching the point of creating exhibits. They have also purchased a software used by several area museums to help with the inventory process.
The main floor will primarily be an open space with displays strategically placed throughout the floorplan. There are also plans for a genealogy room. Bays explained that one of the challenges the society has faced is that items have been in storage.
“We have things in here that we can identify where they belong, where they came from, and things we can’t,” she stated. “That’s our challenge, is to get through those and maintain the history and the connection with the county. I think once we get over that hurdle and move in the baby steps to open, people are going to donate (more items). And they’ll have a tremendous story to go with it, and it will progress in the future.”
And the group has been getting over that hurdle, in steps large and small as they diligently chip away at each task that presents itself. The community support in the past year has been a tremendous help toward renovations. And this most recent grant from Missouri Humanities put the Saline County Historical Society Museum on track to open in the near future.
“(Dustin) will help us get started the right way,” Green reiterated. “We’ve been very fortunate to have gained a lot of money (through grant writing). Grants are not easy. … Dustin talked about stories being very important. They’ll give you an idea of life back then. Hopefully we will leave a mark that will show what life is like now. This is something we don’t want to just do today that will disappear tomorrow.”
Membership of SCHS is well over 100 people now and continuously growing. They will soon need volunteers to assist with the organization of the items currently in house. More information about Saline County Historical Society can be found on the organization’s Facebook page.
Note: The Missouri Humanities Council is the only statewide agency devoted exclusively to humanities education for citizens of all ages. It has served as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities since 1971.
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