SIX DAY A WEEK OPERATIONS COMING SOON!

One week and counting. May 1st starts a new and exciting chapter at the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District as we will begin six day a week operations. Closed on Tuesdays, Open Monday - Saturday 10 am to 4 pm and Sundays from Noon to 4pm.

We have recently had 18 new volunteers attend our volunteer orientation classes and they are eager and ready to meet the public.

You'll also see some new changes around the complex. We have removed our wood entrance boardwalk across the tracks and are pouring concrete this week on a new and much improved permanent pedestrian rail crossing. A new entrance sign is being installed for travelers and visitors alike to better see our entrance as you travel along Iowa Hwy 12. Two new display rooms are under construction and are scheduled to have their grand opening to the public during our National Train Day celebrations on Saturday May 12th.

One exhibit will be located in bay 1 of the roundhouse and will be our Preservation Gallery. This gallery will focus on our volunteers, donor recognition,organization goals and accomplishments, volunteer recruitment, historical and preservation awards, and a donation center. The second exhibit will be in the blacksmith portion of the Machine/Blacksmith Shop and will feature pictures, blueprints and other artifacts celebrating the robust times during the first half of the 20th Century of Downtown Sioux City when 3 railroad passenger stations and the freight houses of 5 different railroads made it their home.

Stay tuned to this blog for more updates as our summer season begins. If you haven't been back for a visit in while come on back and check us out .... you won't believe the changes!

Railroad Museum selected to Participate in National Museum Assessment Program

The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District, a railroad museum based in Sioux City, has been selected to participate in the Museum Assessment Program (MAP) administered by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services and the American Association of Museums.

Through guided self-study and on-site consultation with a museum professional, participation in MAP will empower the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District to better serve the citizens of Sioux City by facilitating its meeting and exceeding the highest professional standards of the museum field.

During Memorial Day weekend, a peer reviewer from the American Association of Museums (AAM) will visit the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District. Peer reviewers are museum professionals who volunteer their time to review self-assessment materials, conduct site visits, and write reports. Scott Becker from the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum has been assigned by the AAM as the peer reviewer for the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District.

MAP is a confidential process of self-study, peer review and implementation. Museums use the assessment process to strengthen operations, build capacity, and enhance communication throughout the organization and in response to community needs.

Participant museums choose one of three categories for its assessment: Collections Stewardship Organizational, Community Engagement. The railroad museum will take part in the Community Engagement assessment process. Small and mid-sized museums of all types, including art, history, science and technology, children’s, natural history, historic houses, nature centers, botanical gardens, and zoos participate in the program.

MAP is a self-motivated program; application to and participation in MAP is initiated by each institution, and those accepted invest considerable human and institutional resources into the assessment.

“Choosing to be part of the MAP program is indicative of the commitment to civic involvement, public service and overall excellence on the part of the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District,” said Ford W. Bell, president of AAM. “Studies have shown America’s museums to be among the country’s most trusted and valued institutions. MAP is designed to make them even better.”