Exciting work ahead on NSPPS Collections

By Sherry Griffin Grundy

Hello, Friends of the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society!

As a new board member for NSPPS, I wanted to take a few minutes to introduce myself and share some of the exciting work ahead for the development and management of the NSPPS Collections.

By way of introduction, my name is Sherry Griffin Grundy and I have lived in the region since 1997, when I moved to South Lake Tahoe and then to Carson City in 2006.  While I am not a Nevada native, my interest in studying and preserving the capital city’s history stems from a few perspectives.

Sherry Griffin Grundy

First, of course, is my education and professional background in the study of history and as a resource development professional.  Over the past twenty years, I have been fortunate to work with many of our area’s nonprofit organizations including the League to Save Lake Tahoe, the Thunderbird Lodge Preservation Society,  and the Historic Fourth Ward School.

As a resident, I’m naturally interested in the local history, but I’ve also had some great opportunities to learn more through stories shared by The Grundy Family given their diverse involvement in Carson City since 1958, including a few about my father-in-law, Dr. Richard Grundy’s time as the Nevada State Prison doctor during the late 1950s and 1960s, as well as historical research and collection development projects I’ve undertaken for two longtime local organizations, which have spanned some sixty years of Carson City history.

As many of you know, it is the stories shared by residents who have participated in the growth of our community, operated businesses, raised their families, and served in public institutions like the Nevada State Prison, that help to bring our local history to life and inspire us to preserve, share and unlock more historical treasures.

As a board member for NSPPS, my goal is to help insure the historic Nevada State Prison is preserved and shared with all those that live in our state and visit our state capital. The remarkable story of the prison will be told through future public tours and from the historic artifacts, documents, photographs, maps, and oral histories that will be part of the NSPPS Collections.

Looking ahead

In the coming months, we will be developing our collection policies, implementing our museum collection software, and cataloging, preserving, properly storing, and researching the items we current have in our collections.  In addition, we will determine what historic items exist in other repository collections that can provide more insight and history about the prison.

We also look forward to hearing from those in our community who may have items connected to the Nevada State Prison. Collectively, the NSPPS Collections will provide for the interpretive programs and exhibits that will be offered when the facility is available for docent-led public tours, for special virtual exhibits on our website, and as part of our public lecture series.

I very much appreciate the opportunity to share my love of history and historical research, along with my professional skills, in the effort to preserve and share the rich history of the Nevada State Prison with those in our area and visitors to our community.  Thank you for your support of NSPPS.

Sherry Griffin Grundy is a member of the board of the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society and is leading the effort to establish the Nevada State Prison Collections.