Deb Hanagan is new 1881 Courthouse Museum director

The 1881 Courthouse Museum has a new director, with Deb Hanagan taking the reigns of the museum. Her first day of work with the museum was last Monday, but already, she is full of ideas and energy to bring the museum to its full potential. Hanagan is a  West Point Academy graduate and retired Army Colonel who has lived all over the world, but chose Custer to live out her retirement years in.
Hanagan is from the Midwest originally and moved around often as her father worked as an engineer at different companies and moved around to different states. She was looking to escape the midwest when a speaker from West Point Academy came to speak at her high school, and that’s where she went, eventually graduating top of her class.
She wasn’t necessarily looking for a career in the military, but that’s what she got, as she kept being offered “incredible opportunities” with the Army. Eventually she was promoted to the rank of Colonel and lived across the country as well as in France, England, Slovenia and Germany. After 28-1/2 years, she finished her time in the Army as a teacher at the US Army War College in Carlisle, Penn.
Hanagan moved to South Dakota a few years ago after becoming unhappy with her home in Pennsylvania during the pandemic. She and her husband made a spreadsheet decision matrix of all the places they were considering, and of all the places, they landed on the Black Hills.
“I’m so glad we wound up in Custer. This really fits us,” said Hanagan.
Moving around the Midwest growing up and then going into the military, Hanagan has lived in a lot of different places all over the world, but maybe none quite as quiet as here.
“I love the fact that I can leave my window open at night and its utterly silent outside,” she said.
Since she and her husband are very active people, they enjoyed getting out to explore the Hills, but “just being a tourist wasn’t enough,” said Hanagan, so she and they began to look for ways to give back and get involved with the community.
They soon became involved with the board for Operation Black Hills Cabin, and it was as she was making the rounds to different businesses in town to secure coupons for Operation Black Hills Cabin guests, she was told that the museum was hiring for a director and became interested.
Hanagan is a “huge history buff” and collects books about all the places they visit and live. Of course, as she moved here, she started to read about the history and culture of the Black Hills. Now, as the museum director, she gets to find ways to get others engage with that history through the museum.
“I’m in my element here,” said Hanagan.
Some of Hanagan’s goals as director are continue cataloging the museum’s collections into a database, to freshen up some exhibits to make them engaging to first-time visitors as well as to locals, and to promote the museum year-round to tourists and find ways to bring people in during the offseason—just to name a few.
“A lot of people have done a lot of work making some really nice exhibits so I just want to carry on with that and maybe freshen some things up,” said Hanagan.
She said that an important part of her job will be to work well with the volunteers, who have been vital to the museum operations this summer and all year round.
“The reason the museum was open all summer was because the volunteers stepped up, so I absolutely tip my hat to the hard work by all the people who love this place to keep it open all summer,” said Hanagan.
Brock Hoagland, the president of the Custer County Historical Society, which operates the museum, said there were many things the board liked about Hanagan, but that it was a long process to choose from other very good candidates.
“We had some very good candidates this time and because of that it took two rounds of interviews and three rounds of voting before we decided on Deb,” said Hoagland.
One of the things that made her stand out was her wide military background.
“While anyone who makes a career in the military meets and deals with a wide range of people and is exposed to a range of views, the fact that she had advance education in both England and France gave her more exposure to different viewpoints.  Since we do have visitors from other countries every year her educational experiences means she can relate to the views of citizens from other countries.  That can only be a plus for the museum and she may have ideas of how to make our museum more relevant to foreign visitors,” said Hoagland.
“As a former colonel and a chief of staff for a state senator in Pennsylvania she would have wide and deep experience running an organization.  And of course, she did very well with the two interviews we did with her,” Hoagland also said.
The 1881 Courthouse Museum is open until Sept. 30 from Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Custer County residents get in for free.