The Stroud Mansion, located at the corner of Main and 9th Streets, includes a museum with four floors of exhibit space highlighting the history of Monroe County, and a Research Library, with an extensive and unique collection of genealogical and other reference materials on state and local history. The Monroe County Historical Association maintains the valuable, one-of-a-kind artifacts and documents contained within the building and interprets those treasures through its educational programs.

In 1920, the citizens of Monroe County joined together to save the Stroud Mansion, and in the following year, created the organization now known as the Monroe County Historical Association. Together the building and organization have served as the cornerstone of Monroe County’s life and times for over a century. 

Please help us to continue to serve you for the next century and beyond!

 Project Goals 

At our community workshop in 2018, you told us how we can better serve the community:

• Expand facilities and visitor amenities so that larger groups can gather together for education and community-building activities

• improve accessibility to the building and information accessibility for researchers and other visitors

• enhance preservation, storage, and display for our historic treasures.

Here are Some of Our Most Pressing Concerns

❖ Wear and Tear on the Historic Structure

• Severe damage to the original 1795 floors in meeting room and library

• Weight of heavy file cabinets in the library

❖ Out of Room for Programs and People

• Participants often turned away from programs and events

• Space needed for organizing, presenting, and storing interactive, hands-on educational programs

• Cramped office space leading to inefficiencies

❖ Inaccessibility

• The Stroud Mansion is inaccessible to people with mobility limitations

• No elevator anywhere in the building

• A lack of technology to improve accessibility of archives, records, and the visitor experience

❖ Environmental Damage to Archives and Artifacts

• No climate control or proper storage which affects the integrity and organization of archives and artifacts

• Collections dispersed throughout the Stroud Mansion, including the basement and attic

Opportunities in Our New Heritage Center

❖ Expanded exhibit space that will allow us to better showcase the diversity in our County, past and present

❖ Room for rotating exhibits featuring local artwork

❖ Our community room, which will seat up to 125 guests, will allow us to grow our lecture series audiences, as well as hosting themed events and a wide variety of programming