The Society renovated Kimmey house with the addition in 1968 of an auditorium, named for Society President James M. Shriver and benefactor Victor Weybright, an exhibit room and a reference library. Over the years, as the numbers of researchers using the library increased, the library expanded, eventually taking over the exhibit room. During the past two decades, the auditorium has been the site for several temporary exhibitions highlighting selected areas of the Society's collection including textiles, photographs and military items. Now, with funding from the Maryland Museum Assistance Program, the auditorium has been converted for permanent use as an exhibition space. Panels over the windows block sunlight which causes damage to artifacts, track lighting fixtures allow light levels to be controlled and new cases, constructed of inert materials, protect the artifacts on exhibit.
People collect things for a variety of reasons.
Some buy objects for what they are worth and treat them only as investments. Some acquire things for their beauty. Some keep souvenirs of places and events that have special meaning for them. Some collect out of nostalgia, seeking things from a simpler time such as toys from their childhood. But museums collect objects for what they can teach us.