Dear Friend of the Museum,

This year the Staley Museum celebrates its tenth anniversary. As we reflect on the past decade, we cannot help but feel grateful for the support we’ve received from the Decatur community. With your help, we believe the next ten years can be even better.

We are respectfully writing to request your support with our newest project:

10 for 10 - Revitalizing Staley Square: Your History, Decatur’s Heritage, Staley’s Legacy. 

Revitalizing Staley Square begins with the development of a safe, accessible, and welcoming parking lot for our corner of the Historic District in Decatur. By thoughtfully designing the property, we hope to transform an underutilized area into an inviting community asset that adds beauty and pride to the neighborhood. We envision a well-maintained space incorporating shade trees, native plantings, historic markers, and more accessible walkways.

Why a parking lot? While not the most visibly exciting project, the creation of a parking lot would be a benefit not just to the Staley Museum but also our neighbors and other nearby historic sites. Last year, the Staley Museum saw a 40% increase in visitors, serving over 770 individuals in 2025. As that number continues to increase, so does our need to accommodate visitors.

At current, the museum has a parking capacity of 6 spaces which leaves visitors and volunteers parking on nearby streets or farther away and adds congestion to a road already shared with neighboring homeowners. The new lot will have 16 spaces, increasing our capacity to 22 spaces, and allowing the museum to reserve the back lot for handicap accessible parking and employees only. Additionally, five other historic sites and museums sit within a one-mile radius of the Staley Museum allowing for an extra benefit of shared use of the lot when and if necessary.

We believe a well-maintained parking lot with beautiful landscaping and educational signs is far superior to an empty plot of land. It is no secret that many areas of Decatur are in need of revitalization. We are committed to doing our part at the Staley Museum by leading the way in our own neighborhood.

We hope you will consider being a part of our 10 for 10 matching campaign in which we search for ten donors to contribute $10,000.00 towards Revitalizing Staley Square and believing in the power of taking pride in our community. The Staley Museum Foundation has committed to matching all donations made in the 10 for 10 campaign to achieve our goal of $200,000.00 in funds raised.

Donations can be made privately or publicly at the discretion of the donor. Public donations can be announced at an upcoming live broadcast of the Brian Byers Radio Show happening at the Staley Museum on October 13, 2026. Checks may be made payable to the Staley Museum. Digital payment options can be found on our website at StaleyMuseum.com for contributions made outside of the 10 for 10 campaign.

We sincerely thank you for your consideration and support of local history and the Staley Museum.

Yours,
Laura Jahr

Director of the Staley Museum