Chetek Area Calhoun Museum

Leaving a legacy to your community

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With new tax-favored ways of giving, more of us can financially participate sharing family histories through the donation of family heirlooms. Families that gave rise to Chetek will be remembered forever in a museum. Giving can bring joy and satisfaction to the giver, may have positive tax implications for them, and is of lasting benefit as a legacy to the community. Examples of ways to create a lasting legacy by donating to the Chetek Area Calhoun Museum are:

• making a bequest to the Chetek Area Historical Society in your will. After providing for loved ones, you may decide to bequeath a specific amount, or percentage of your estate, or all or part of what remains after other bequests are distributed to the Historical Society for the museum.
• name the Chetek Area Historical Society as the beneficiary of all or part of the proceeds of an insurance policy.
• contributing long-term appreciated securities entitles you to a charitable deduction equal to the fair market value of the securities.
• charitable remainder trusts offer several ways for you to make a gift while retaining income for yourself and/or another beneficiary.
• designating one or more primary beneficiaries and one or more contingent beneficiaries in your retirement or IRA retirement plan.
• donating personal items to the museum's display collection are not only valuable, but can also be of value to you as a deduction from your taxes. You, as the donor, are responsible for placing a value on a donated item, and in most cases, a reasonable estimate is sufficient.

It is wise to discuss donations to the museum over with your family members, tax consultant and lawyer to determine the feasibility of making a bequest. The Chetek Area Calhoun Museum is operated by the Chetek Area Historical Society, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, and may offer the donor certain income and estate tax benefits to themselves or beneficiaries through donations to the museum.

Besides the financial benefit to the museum, donated items can add interest and appeal to the visitor by increasing our inventory. The museum is always looking for collections, local business and industry related items, military memorabilia, photographs of Chetek scenes, resort and cottage information, maps, high school yearbooks, athletic related items, stories, personal journals, airport photos and memento's, historical documents, recorded histories, scouting, Native American items associated with the Chetek area , family histories and general memorabilia. What often happens when an estate is settled is that historical museum quality items can be thrown away. Prior to a family disposing of these types of items a call to the Chetek museum should be made.

Chetek history is unique due to its Native American, logging and resort influence. Industrial firms like the Heddon Fishing Lure Co.; Knapp, Stout and Co.; Farmers Store Co.; Tronick Luggage Co. and Chetek Boat Company played significant roles in the Cities early development. The public can help us preserve this history for future residents and visitors to enjoy. The value of donated items may be a financial benefit to the donor and certainly the public will benefit.