By Don Steen
Staff Writer n reporter@psci.net
ROCKPORT – Lincoln Pioneer Village and Museum has opened its 2026 season with a new director, Sarah Collins. Former director Nancy Kaiser is recovering from health issues, but has been helping her successor with advice over the phone. Kaiser’s advice has been most welcome, though Collins hopes she can focus more on rest and recuperation in the near term.
“She’s still very much working when she should be resting,” Collins joked. “I’m very grateful for her, that she still cares so much.”
That assistance is indeed welcome, of course. Collins has only been on the job since late April, leaving little time to prepare for the May 9 Spring Heritage Day event. Fortunately, the traditional launch of the summer season went off without a hitch.
Collins estimated total admission revenue of more than $600, with around 115 visitors stopping by throughout the day. That’s not counting the many re-enactors and vendors who set up shop in the replica pioneer village.
Collins credits the Friends of Lincoln Pioneer Village and other volunteers with helping keep that much-anticipated celebration going strong this year.
“It’s very much a group effort,” she said.
The village’s operating season has been going steady so far this month. One family from Michigan got an early tour of the grounds the day before Heritage Day, having wandered in as volunteers were setting up. Another family from Kansas stopped by on Thursday, having been directed to the Rockport attraction while they were exploring the Santa Claus Museum.
“I know we’ve had some travelers through here,” said Collins.
Collins herself is something of a newcomer to the area. She earned her associate’s degree in education from Brazosport College in Lake Jackson, Texas before coming to Kentucky Wesleyan College to complete her education. She has since changed her major to history, and will finish her studies in December.
Her favorite professor had a great deal to do with that change of focus, as did some of the interesting opportunities associated with historical studies. Collins is particularly interested in archival work, and looks forward to digging into some interesting Lutheran records from the area that have recently come into that college’s possession.
“Kentucky Wesleyan actually has some archives that they were donated they’re going to be going through this summer that I hope to be a part of,” said Collins.
It was actually her college’s History Club that clued her into the presence of the Lincoln Pioneer Village across the river, and the job opening that just popped up there. Her first weeks as director have been a race to prepare for the 2026 season, not to mention immerse herself in the hidden history of Lincoln’s boyhood in Spencer County and pioneer life here.
“Right now I have no plans to leave,” Collins assured. “I’m just trying to soak up all the knowledge that I can.”
The area, naturally, has much else to offer. Collins is married with three children, none of whom are opposed to living so close to Holiday World & Splashin’ Safari.
It’s easy for those outside Spencer County to miss the significance of the pioneer village, as Collins was quick to realize when she herself found out about it.
“We’re kind of tucked back here,” she said. If you don’t know about us, or you’re not from here, you’ll just miss it.”
That’s nothing new for a history enthusiast of course. The number one lesson of history is that the more you learn about something, the more you’ll know just how much you’re probably still missing.
Collins hopes to get other schools, organizations, and local history enthusiasts to visit the village going forward.
By promoting the village as a venue for authors, clubs, and even other regional attractions, appreciation for Rockport’s 91-year-old treasure might grow. After all, there are few things more exciting than finding something new in your own backyard.
For example, Collins expressed a fascination with the Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville. She plans to make that national landmark the topic of an independent study during her fall semester. With a little leg work, perhaps the Lincoln Pioneer Village can capture the imagination of budding historians across the region in similar fashion.
There’s plenty of work to do in the here and now, of course. Collins is content to keep up the good work of those who came before.
“My main focus is to keep the integrity of the museum,” she said. “Nancy’s done such a wonderful job. I just want to make her proud.”
