A little more than 20,165 visitors came through the doors of the historic Navajo County Courthouse Visitor Center in 2017, according to the annual report recently released by the Navajo County Historical Society.
The Visitor Center, manned by desk clerks Dawn Sawyer and Michael Ozment, continues to receive frequent compliments from visitors about how great and unique the museum is as well as the friendly, professional service provided by the clerks. Through an agreement with the City of Holbrook, the Society receives $30,000 to help pay for one full-time and two part-time employees at minimum wage.
Society board member and volunteer Director JoLynn Fox along with three regular volunteers clocked in 2,661.5 hours of time organizing, processing and scanning the photographs, original documents and news clippings, as well as maintaining and adding new exhibits. The newest exhibits being worked on are the Aztec Land and Cattle Company, and banking in Holbrook. Additionally, the courthouse hosted numerous workshops, meetings, and two each of art shows, weddings and tours.
The city continued to provide the utilities in the courthouse and was available for assistance with plumbing and minor repairs, while Navajo County provided for the utilities in the annex building as well as miscellaneous repairs.
Fox said that book sales were good last year with $17,483 earned. The society spent $10,083 on new book stock with another $30,000 of stock on hand.
By the end of 2017, the society had $71,520 in revenue with $75,813 in expenses. The difference was made up through funds in the savings account.
But amid all the good, remains the ongoing battle to keep the historic courthouse structurally sound. While the donation box netted $9,060, the cost for repairs, which included re-caulking all the windows to prevent them from falling out and the termite treatment, was $9,733.
Still looming ahead for 2018 is the need to replace the roof, a job that Fox estimates will cost $200,000 to complete. “We have $35,000 that our board could approve to go to the cost of sharing the roofing job,” said Fox. She also noted that Navajo County and the City of Holbrook have been looking into grants to raise more funds, but to date nothing has been secured. The wait has not stopped the damage from spreading. “There are places where it is leaking and doing damage to the exterior wall,” said Fox.
All of the 2018 memberships will be dedicated to restoring the roof. In 2017, the society received a total of $2,550 from 39 members, which included one lifetime member. Memberships start at $10 for a student, $15 for senior citizen/military, $20 for an individual, $35 for a family, $50 makes you a Supporting Member, $100 a Contributing Member, $250 for Benefactor and $1,000 for Lifetime. Members receive a 10 percent discount at the bookshop, which doesn’t charge taxes and has a great selection of books for children.
While the historic Courthouse is located in Holbrook, it services the entire Navajo County, providing a wealth of information that benefits all of the towns and cities within the county.
