HUMBOLDT — Bequeathed with a gift from an anonymous benefactor, the Humboldt Historical Society will soon expand.
Plans are in the works to erect a new building at the corner of Eighth and New York streets — just south of Neosho Valley Woodworks shop.
The facility will be filled with roughly 200 animal mounts, to represent the scores of animals the donor has killed during his hunting days.
Humboldt City Council members approved last week the Historical Society’s request to waive various fees for demolition and building permits, saving the organization about $260.
An existing one-story building must first be removed to make space for the 6,000-square-foot facility.
The new metal building will be covered in part with brick to match the aesthetic of Humboldt’s older downtown buildings, noted HHS member Bob Johnson, who shared the group’s plans with the Council.
The animals were felled from across the globe, with several native to the midwestern United States, Johnson noted, but also from far-away places like New Zealand and Africa.
None of the animals are or have been on any endangered species lists, Johnson added.
The Historical Society has five other buildings in Humboldt at its complex in the 400 block of North Second Street.
