Simone from Frisco sent me an email the other day. Actually she sent me a survey which, by the way I did complete. She wanted to know how I felt about my trip through the Frisco Schoolhouse Museum. I let her know it was a great idea to conduct a survey (something perhaps more public spaces should employ) and provided a few suggestions.
Most significantly I suggested better matching the environment inside the museum with that outside. Outside buzzes with activity—bikes, boards, barks and bistros. Inside one of the first things to stick out is a sign indicating quiet, no flash photos and no food/drink. In this town that probably results in more than a few folks spinning around and walking back through the door. What a shame.
I perked up most from reading information about the history of relocating the entire town of Dillon and early century miners. Oh, and the mystery of the missing school bell made for a captivating story. Naturally the younger set would gravitate to the quarter operated train making tracks through a depiction of the early days of the town. Tucked away in a corner is an attractive, if somewhat cramped display of stuffed versions of several local critters as well as local flora.
Preserving the integrity of the original schoolhouse clearly ranks high in the values of the Frisco Historical Society–yet bumping out a wall into the adjacent park and creating a more interactive (read as touch and talk) wing might encourage more visitors.
On a beautiful Spring morning when sidewalks were rapidly filling and bikes were buzzing around I was the sole visitor for most of my 45 minute tour. As I was about to walk out a multi-generational family stepped inside with the kids naturally gravitating toward the train and a couple moms in low voices reminding them to not touch anything and behave.
Simone has a terrific facility in an amazing town~~I genuinely appreciate her attempts as pulling more feedback from visitors. I’m sure I’ll be back one day.