MILTON
The Milton House has found its new leader.
Keighton Klos, a Milton resident and 2009 UW-Whitewater graduate, will take over as executive director for the historic landmark.
The Milton House is the state’s last known standing stop on the Underground Railroad, a secret transportation network that helped Southern slaves escape north. The search for a new director has been underway since previous director Kari Klebba took a job with the Milton School District.
Klos starts work Monday.
She has a degree in public history from UW-Whitewater and has spent the last five years at the Rock County Historical Society in a number of positions. She left her operations manager job in July.
Applying for the Milton job was an easy decision, she said.
“The Milton House is a premiere historical site in the state with it being the only Underground Railroad site in the state, and I think there’s a lot of opportunity there. I’m just really excited to be a part of it,” she said.
Klos said she has admired the Milton House from afar and has done work in Milton through the Rock County Historical Society.
The DeForest native lived in Janesville for seven years before building a house in Milton with her husband last year.
Four people applied for the Milton House job, and two were granted interviews, said Terry Williamson, a member of the board of directors who served on the hiring committee.
Williamson said Klos was the committee’s top choice.
“She just has extreme passion for history,” Williamson said. “She’s very enthusiastic about learning more about Milton’s history and the Milton House.”
Williamson said Klos stood out because of her new ideas for tours and getting area schools involved in local history. One of her goals is to teach people that history is more than just facts and textbooks.
“We feel very confident Keighton comes both qualified and enthusiastic,” Williamson said.
Klos hopes to start collaborating more with area groups, businesses and the community. More investment from residents will ensure the Milton House will always be important to Milton, she said.
“It’s about trying to get people, not only in Milton but also in the surrounding communities, to understand why the Milton House and its history is important to people today … and how it can continue to have an impact in the community and in people’s lives today, and making people realize they can make new history with the Milton House today,” she said.
Klos hopes the community will continue to be excited about history.
“People do like history and want to learn history, but they just want to learn it in new and exciting ways. The more you show people that this history is relevant to them today, the more they want to come learn about it, and that’s what we want to do.”
