Batavia names new history museum director

BATAVIA – Kate Garrett of Batavia is both fascinated by history and skilled at making stories from the past come to life.

Garrett is the new director of the Batavia Depot Museum, where her goal is to bring residents face to face with their history.

“My job is all about engaging the public with its heritage,” Garrett said. “It’s really a dream job for me.”

Garrett comes to the Depot Museum from the DuPage County Forest Preserve’s Kline Creek Farm, a living history museum where she served as a “heritage interpreter” showcasing farm life in the 1890s.

Previous experience for Garrett includes work at a living history farm site in Iowa and the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, New York.

The Depot Museum is owned and operated by the Batavia Park District in partnership with the Batavia Historical Society, whose volunteers help staff the museum.

“Kate is community-driven and goal-oriented,” Batavia Park District Director Allison Niemela said. “She understands the complexities of museum management.”

Working with Garrett at the Depot Museum is curator Amber Foster, who had been serving as interim director for the better part of a year since former director Jennifer Putzier left the museum.

“I think the biggest challenge will be to demonstrate and communicate the museum’s value to the public,” Garrett said.

The museum director’s job is not the only big challenge facing Garrett. She is on the ballot in the April 6 election, running unopposed for Batavia City Clerk.

A member of the Batavia Library Board since 2017, Garrett said she will resign her post with that body when she takes office as city clerk.

The Batavia Depot Museum is at 155 Houston St., housed in an 1854 Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad passenger station.

The building was moved from its original location on the east side of Batavia to its current site overlooking Depot Pond and the Batavia Riverwalk. It was opened as a museum in 1975.

Permanent exhibits feature Mary Todd Lincoln’s stay at Bellevue Place in 1875 and the history of Batavia’s windmill manufacturers and railroads.

Outside, the 1907 CB&Q Railroad caboose is a popular attraction, along with the Coffin Bank, a one-room 1854 building that housed Batavia’s first bank.

The Batavia Historical Society is about halfway toward its $2 million fundraising goal for an expansion of the museum to provide additional space for exhibits, offices and other facilities.

The museum currently is closed for the winter with plans to reopen for the season in March.