ABOUT US

History

American Bicentennial commemorative project, the museum is housed in a restored 1906 Victorian cottage, complimented by period furnishings and surrounded by several small-out buildings that depict community life at the early part of the twentieth century.  The miniature buildings are favorites of young  children, and they include a school, a church, a bank, a store, a depot and a barn and other “necessary” period buildings.

Artifacts and Collections

Museum collections include period furnishings and accessories from the mid- to late-Victorian period. A children’s play house is the backdrop for an exhibit of period toys and dolls.  The museum also owns an extensive collection of important newspaper headlines, archival documents and rare and collectible books.  A reconstruction of the original barn houses a large collection of rural life artifacts.

Outreach and In-House Services

The museum publishes a Quarterly Children’s Newsletter, distributed by e-mail, mail and during the regularly scheduled Children’s Hour.  An Annual Report that includes an updated video recording of buildings and grounds is available for PR or classroom use. Musings is a quarterly newsletter for mature patrons. Regular joint programming with local libraries and a Speaker’s Bureau make the museum available to the public in a non-traditional format.  A large collection of exhibit boxes can be borrowed by individuals, teachers and groups, and may be accompanied by a “presenter” for a one-time program, or can be utilized for up to two weeks in the classroom or school library.  Museum staff works side-by-side with teachers and home-schooling parents to provide an additional dimension to traditional classroom teaching. 

Exhibitions and displays are correlated to curriculum guidelines and educational standards, and we offer gallery tours and lectures and  teacher resource information and materials