Once an old store at Manson’s Landing dock, the building that houses the Cortes Island Museum and Archives was relocated to its present location in 1996. The original building has been transformed by dedicated volunteers into our interesting Museum with charm and character.
The challenges of working with an old building include having very limited space to house the growing Archives and Artifact Collections, while meeting climate control standards for proper preservation of these collections. With community interest and the growing popularity of the Museum, awareness about the importance of preserving such items and materials has also grown significantly. At present, the Museum has been forced to limit further donations of archival materials and artifacts because the need for additional space to house them is now critical. Until this need for more storage space is addressed, important artifacts and archival materials that would have been donated may be lost or destroyed.
A purpose built 672 square foot expansion to the present building is in the planning stages. You can help preserve Cortes community history! CIMAS is actively seeking expansion funds through memberships, available grants, community businesses and private donors. Donations of lumber and other construction supplies would also be most welcome, and for which CIMAS can issue a tax receipt.