Foundation Projects

“Between Fences” is a Museum on Mainstreet traveling exhibit sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute and the Illinois Humanities Council. Pinckneyville was one of 6 Illinois communities to be chosen to host this exhibit and it has been showing at the Pinckneyville Park, in the Exhibition Hall from October 16, 2008 through November 23, 2008. The Smithsonian exhibit explores the development of fences in our country, the ways they were made, the reasons they were used and the effects they had on the life of all Americans. The Foundation for Pinckneyville organized the exhibit and added local exhibits about coal mining history, wire fence making machines, and the life of our famous resident, Virginia Marmaduke, Chicago newspaper reporter in the 1940’s through the 1960’s. We sponsored a grade school picket fence painting contest, a writing contest, conducted hundreds of public school classes through the museum and held a televised program about the Life and Career of Virginia Marmaduke.

The Pinckneyville Leadership Program is designed to cultivate and nurture the future leaders of our community -- in business, city government, school board service, hospital administration, library board service, and other civic programs. Our group of 15 students have met with Southern Illinois government and civic leaders, they have attended classes about first responders – the police, fire departments, emergency services; they have attended programs about tourism in our community, including dining, lodging, recreational facilities such as golf courses, hunting preserves, lakes and trails. Next year their curriculum will include running our schools, our health care and social service facilities, local government and small businesses. In May the group will be honored at a special graduation program. Our goal is to make sure future leaders are ready to take Pinckneyville where it needs to go.

The Illinois High School Basketball Hall of Fame is no surprise for Pinckneyville, which is known for its many successful basketball teams led by its legendary coaches, Duster Thomas and Dick Corn. Led by a local board of Pinckneyville leaders and basketball fans and supported by an Executive Board including the likes of Doug Collins, Mannie Jackson, Steve Bardo, Julie Roe, and Loren Tate, the plans include establishing a museum in Pinckneyville, which will showcase the history of prep basketball in Illinois and will exhibit memorabilia and films of the sport. The Hall of Fame will honor the finest of basketball players and coaches. The facility will be a perfect venue for sports banquets, meetings and social events.

The Illinois Rural Heritage Museum will be located adjacent to the Pinckneyville Park where the American Thresherman Association holds two meetings annually bringing thousands to the community to experience antique farm machinery and implements. Visitors will see vintage equipment dating from 1850 to 1950, and visit exhibits displaying home life on the Illinois farm during that same period.

There will always be more projects we will want to support. We exist to help others whose organizations are charitable and whose projects will enhance the education, health care and economic stability of Pinckneyville. We have guideline we must follow in selecting projects to support and they can be obtained from our General Manager at pvfuture@gmail.com.