Why I've Loved Every Minute of Museum Work
- Kellie Murphy
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
As Chief Operating Officer at the Museum of the American Railroad, I sometimes feel like a jack of all trades. From reviewing insurance premiums, creating marketing plans, special event planning and management, to exhibits creation, and development & fundraising, everything we do gets us closer to growth, maintaining relevance, and drawing visitors from North Texas and all over the globe. Did I mention we have the world’s largest steam locomotive “Big Boy” #4018 in our collection? That helps too!
But why work in the museum field? I think it all stems from growing up with Depression-era grandparents – they didn’t throw things away. If it was broken, you fixed it. If it was old and still worked, you didn’t replace it. I grew to love their old things – wall clocks, teacups, colorful bottles, coin collections, tools, etc. and the stories and memories those things embodied. Their old things helped me understand them better, and those connections are priceless!
If you distill it down to one word, museums are helpers! We help interpret artifacts that have become so far removed from daily life that most folks just don’t recognize them anymore. But they still matter, because many of the artifacts we present and interpret are building blocks to modern technologies we just can’t live without. (Telegraphy was the first form of “instant” communication.) Could we really function without email and texting?
We help students make classroom theory come alive with one visit to our historic train collection and onsite learning stations. We help generations connect to one another over shared interests, nostalgia, and the fun of learning something new. We help diverse communities see themselves in what we do and the information we present through exhibits, special events, and educational programming. We help families connect to one another through scavenger hunts in our model train exhibit TrainTopia. And we help volunteers find a place to belong and thrive through their meaningful work with fellow North Texans, students, and tourists.
The bottom line is museums matter, and a lot of times museums are the places communities gather when they are seeking a sense of wonder, imagination, and connection. I’m proud of the work we do at the Museum of the American Railroad, where I’ve been serving the North Texas community since 2004.
Museum work is like the Texas weather – every day is different. And sometimes every hour is different, but that’s the thrilling part! We may be working with teachers to develop new educational programming that best fits their needs, or we may be receiving a large, varied collection of railroad memorabilia that was donated – we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Either way, there’s never a dull moment and no opportunity to become bored.
When I graduated Clemson University with a degree in history I knew I wanted to work in the museum field. I wanted to teach history to the public and get creative with the ways in which we interpret historical artifacts, present them, and engage with visitors. It isn’t always easy working in the non-profit field. Often you worry about not having enough resources, but you keep plugging on because you know that the work you do matters.
These days I hear so many people complain that they hate their jobs. I’ve loved every minute of museum work, even the challenging days. And I’ve learned over the years that, yes, our collections are very important (we have over 65 pieces of railroad rolling stock, two historic structures, and thousands of small artifacts and images), but it’s the people that make a successful museum. When you organize a space for talented people to engage and use their skills & creativity, amazing things can happen. Our visitors come for fun, educational exhibits, but they return again and again for the docents and tour guides that care about their museum experience. That’s why I love my job!
Kellie Murphy
Chief Operating Officer
Museum of the American Railroad
8004 N. Dallas Pkwy., Suite 400
Frisco, TX 75034
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