POULSBO — A new year brings a new challenge to the Poulsbo Historical Society as it takes charge of opening the Martinson Cabin to the public on a regular basis.

Society members had hoped to make the building and its interior exhibits accessible to visitors this month, but that probably won’t happen on a regular basis until January, said PHS curator Erica Varga.

“We’re learning how to be docents, which is a combination of a security guard and educator,” Varga said.

Volunteers must be able to answer questions as well as watch over the artifacts inside the cabin, she said.

“It’s a huge responsibility, and I underestimated it myself,” Varga admitted.

Even so, the cabin is a positive step forward in the society’s eventual plans to open a historical museum in downtown Poulsbo, she said.

“Through this we can learn skills that will help when the museum opens,” Varga said.

PHS president Robert Hawkinson agreed the cabin provides an ideal environment, in which volunteers can get a feel for what operating a modern museum might be like.

“We have to have something smaller to practice on,” Hawkinson said. “This is a good place for us to try out our systems.”

Before the society achieves its ultimate goal of opening a modern museum, it has to build a variety of exhibition areas, so it can fulfill its mission, which is “recording, preserving and exhibiting the history, heritage and culture of Poulsbo and its surrounding communities,” he said.

However, in order for those efforts to be successful, one of the first goals for the society’s board of directors is developing and building a volunteer docent workforce, he said.

“We have to have volunteers out there working hands-on with people,” Hawkinson said.

As winter turns to spring and spring to summer, Varga said she hopes to have enough docents to expand the cabin’s hours as visitors flock to Little Norway for events like Viking Fest and the Third of July.

In the meantime, those interested in viewing the cabin can do so from the warmth of their own homes, she said.

“We have a virtual tour online,” Varga said. Unlike in-person visits where the cabin’s upstairs area is off limits, virtual tourists can tour the sleeping loft, she said..

The online tour can be accessed by visiting the society’s Web site: www.poulsbohistory.org, clicking the calendar link and then on the Martinson Cabin link.