MUSEUM TO UNVEIL NEW EXHIBIT THIS WEEKEND
A new gas station exhibit debuts in the transportation exhibit area of Heritage Hall Museum & Archives this week and some folks who see it may feel that it looks a bit familiar.
That, says Marnette (Ortman) Hofer, executive director and archivist of HHM&A, is no coincidence.
“I’ve been intrigued by the number of gas stations in our community in the first half of the last century,” Hofer says. “We’ve been wanting to consolidate elements scattered throughout the museum for some time and creating a gas station exhibit seemed like a fun project.”
Ortman and her museum staff decided to utilize an area in the Unruh-Tieszen wing to do that.
“Once we got started we saw the potential to do something even bigger,” she said.
That led to the decision to model the exterior after the Main Street Freeman Junior College Service Station that operated in the 1930s and 40s on the site where Stucky’s Electric is today. The distinctive peaked-roof profile of that station was a common design in that era.
“It’s been a fun project,” she said. “The ideas just kept flowing.”
That includes putting a Model T inside the station “for repairs,” she said. The interior also includes tools, parts and other items one would expect in a gas station in that era. The exhibit includes a brief history of the FJC Service Station.
It bears the name “Graber’s Service Station,” honoring Linden Graber and his late father, Cleon, who’ve played major roles in the museum’s development, particularly in the transportation exhibits.
The new exhibit is part of a major renovation of the Unruh-Tieszen Wing, which houses the museum’s transportation and agriculture historical exhibits.
“I think people will enjoy the new look,” she said.
Like everyone, Heritage Hall Museum & Archives felt the impact of COVID-19, Hofer noted.
“We saw less than 10 percent of the visitors we have come to expect in a year. That’s why we’re so looking forward to being open during the Freeman Academy Auxiliary “Drive-thru Schmeckfest” this weekend and next.”
The museum will be open both days both weekends from noon to 8 p.m. March 19-20 and 26-27. (Normal winter hours are weekdays from noon to 4 p.m.)
The extended hours also offer free admission for children age 12 and under when accompanied by adults. Hofer noted that the popular model train exhibit will also be running those days.
“We’re also looking forward to showing visitors our expanded mercantile, which features unique handcrafted items from local artisans,” she said.
Hofer says one unintended benefit of the reduced traffic at the museum over the past year is that it’s enabled the museum staff and volunteers to make some dramatic changes, particularly in the Unruh-Tieszen Wing.
“We’re excited to share what we’ve been working on,” she said. “I think that will be a highlight for people visiting the museum.”
And speaking of highlights, one of the projects has been installing – literally new “high lights,” – in the Unruh-Tieszen Wing.
New LED lighting has replaced the sodium-vapor bulbs and the difference is remarkable, Hofer said.
“Not only is it brighter, the colors are much truer,” she said. “The colors of the cars, trucks and tractors are much more authentic with the new light.”
Hofer noted that Donovan Friesen, recently elected as museum board chair, has spent scores of volunteer hours assisting Brian Skinner, facilities manager at the museum, with projects, including the upgraded lighting. And Friesen is not alone.
All the updated, revamped and rearranged displays in recent months wouldn’t have happened without a core group of volunteers, she said. Volunteers were instrumental in helping with the gas station project, particularly painting, she noted.
“I can’t say enough about how important our volunteers are to us,” she said.
Although there is an admission fee to tour the museum, the mercantile is open to the public at no charge. People are welcome to call 605-925-7545 or email info@heritagehallmuseum.com for more information or go online to heritagehallmuseum.com and on the Heritage Hall Museum and Archives Facebook page.
