In 1962, the New Mexico State Legislature passed a bill authorizing County Commissioners to zone historic districts. The commission immediately began advocating for leaders in Lincoln County to establish a historic zone protecting the town of Lincoln. Although it would take more than a decade of work to see this dream realized, local advocates and the State Legislature had laid the groundwork. Over the next several years, the stewards of the Old Courthouse Museum served integral roles in leading the fight for this critical legal protection for Lincoln. 

In 1963, the state legislature passed a bill removing the Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission from under the Museum of New Mexico’s jurisdiction.  This legislative move further increased the commission’s autonomy and ability to manage and maintain the Courthouse Museum and Lincoln State Monument as they saw fit. In December 1964, John and Nan Boylan took a leave of absence from their positions in Lincoln to tour museums and historical sites in Europe. During their absence, the Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission appointed Edward Penfield, the man from whom they purchased the Tunstall Store in 1957, as temporary curator and custodian of the Lincoln State Monument and Courthouse Museum.  The Boylans’ sabbatical lasted only half as long as they expected, and they returned to Lincoln in July 1965.  Their return did not last long, however, as disagreements with the Secretary-Treasurer of the commission led to a refusal of payment for wages and the need for Nan Boylan to find a new job elsewhere.  

Following an exhaustive search for a permanent curator, the commission hired Patricia R. Ward in the fall of 1966. As with previous curators, the commission hired Ward’s husband, Bill, as a part-time employee, continuing the tradition of couples overseeing the operations at the Courthouse Museum and Lincoln State Monument. The Wards arrived in Lincoln during an emerging budget crisis for the State Monument and the Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission. In the late 1960s, the state legislature began steadily decreasing the annual budget for the Lincoln Monument and Courthouse Museum operations and maintenance.  Over seventy-five percent of the state monument’s patrons visited from out of state during this time. Rapidly rising gasoline prices during the early 1970s led to a significant reduction in visitors to Lincoln, forcing the museum to increase admission prices to try and make up the difference needed to maintain the buildings. In 1973, the State Finance Board provided the commission with an emergency grant of $2,000 to cover the cost of its operations for the year.  This need for emergency assistance led to increased conversations regarding the continued management of the Lincoln State Monument. In February 1973, the New Mexico State Planning Office received $2,500 from the National Park Service and $6,000 from the Four Corners Regional Commission to conduct a preservation study for the town of Lincoln.  

In June 1973, the Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission hosted a meeting at the Wortley Hotel to review the preliminary survey for the study. At the meeting were numerous members of the region’s legislative delegation, local community members, and Governor Bruce King.  Supporters gathered at the conference in Lincoln, voicing their concerns and ultimately leading to the expansion of the study and the development of a formal preservation plan for the town. Completed in 1974, Lincoln, New Mexico: A Plan for Preservation and Growth included the recommendation that the County Commission consider enacting a preservation ordinance for the Lincoln Historic District National Historic Landmark. The Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission adamantly supported the preservation plan and the ordinance, but financial support for the group from the state continued to diminish. 

While undeniably important, the state’s investment in studies and plans for preserving Lincoln did not translate directly into funding for the upkeep of properties maintained by the Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission. Primarily influenced by this continuing funding crisis, an independent group of successful businessmen and philanthropists decided to take matters into their own hands. In 1975, oilmen Robert Orville Anderson and Joe Lackey and artists Peter Hurd, Paul Horgan, and John Meigs established the Lincoln County Heritage Trust. Others soon joined this initial group, including Gaylord Freeman, chairman and chief executive of the First National Bank of Chicago. The men created the organization to preserve “both the architectural and natural beauty of southwestern New Mexico,” with a particular interest in the historic town of Lincoln.  Their first acquisition in Lincoln came in 1976 when they purchased the historic Montano Store located at the East end of Lincoln—opening the building as a museum in the summer of 1977.  The Lincoln County Heritage Trust’s move into Lincoln could not have come at a better time. A significant shift in the New Mexico government loomed on the horizon, threatening to end state support for the State Monument. 

Fulfilling a campaign promise, Governor Jerry Apodaca began an aggressive effort to reorganize the New Mexico state government after his election in 1974. After two years of working behind the scenes, Governor Apodaca rolled out his plan during his annual “State of the State” speech on January 20, 1976, and the state legislature approved his plan in March 1977.  Even before the official reorganization of state government, legislators attempted to abolish the Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission altogether. A House Bill, sponsored by Representative Able McBride from Bernalillo County, was narrowly defeated during the 1976 legislative session, saving Lincoln State Monument for the time being.  When the legislature finally authorized Governor Apodaca’s reorganization efforts in March 1977, the Lincoln State Monument and the Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission again found themselves under the direct control of the Museum of New Mexico Division—itself now part of the newly created Educational, Finance, and Cultural Affairs Department.  

With these inevitable changes on the horizon, the Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission elected to take a proactive approach rather than waiting to see what the future had in store for them. Beginning in January 1977, the commission negotiated with the Lincoln County Heritage Trust regarding transferring operational control of the state properties in Lincoln to the private non-profit entity.  At a meeting held on May 10, 1977, the Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission voted to lease “all lands presently owned or to be acquired by the State of New Mexico in the Town of Lincoln” for $1.00 annually to the Lincoln County Heritage Trust. The parties finalized and signed the lease on December 12, 1977. The Lincoln County Heritage Trust officially took over control and operations at the Courthouse Museum in January 1978.  Although consulted during this leasing process, the Museum of New Mexico continued to move forward with the implementation of the reorganization, transferring ownership of all artifacts housed in the Courthouse Museum and Tunstall Store from the Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission back to itself during the 1978 legislative session.  

Following the election of Governor Bruce King in 1978, the state legislature revisited former governor Jerry Apodaca’s reorganization policies, significantly impacting the Old Courthouse Museum and the Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission. In 1979, the Museum of New Mexico regained its autonomy when the legislature voted to remove it from the Department of Education, Finance, and Cultural Affairs. Left out of this move was the Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission, which remained under the oversight of the Department of Education, Finance, and Cultural Affairs and transformed into an advisory committee.  This change stripped the Old Lincoln County Memorial Commission of all previous powers, and the organization became only an advisory board. In June 1979, the Museum of New Mexico officially took back control of the Courthouse Museum and the rest of the Lincoln State Monument from the commission, receiving the transfer of operational control from the Lincoln County Heritage Trust on July 1, 1979.