May 26, 2013
COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) -- After years of declining attendance, the Historic Westville living history museum in Lumpkin might relocate to an urban area to try to attract more tourists.
The chairman of Westville's executive board, Tripp Blankenship, says they hope to have a location chosen within six months. Columbus and Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta are possibilities.
The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reports that Historic Westville has 30 period structures and 10 staff members who demonstrate life in the 1850s and beyond. Annual attendance peaked at more than 49,000 in fiscal 1989 and dropped to slightly more than 13,000 last year. The executive director of Westville, Leo Goodsell, attributed part of the decline to schools cutting back on field trips.
