Regional History Room Reopening

While the Museum was closed in January, February, and March, volunteers were hard at work evaluating, reorganizing, and cataloging the resources in the Regional History Room (Research Library). Join them to celebrate its reopening, learn the history of the RHR, and find out what resources are available within its walls. Start with a short presentation in the Ada Paresky Education Center. Tyler Resch will speak about the long history of the RHR and Bob Tegart and Dave Pilachowski will share what's been going on more recently. Then relocate to the Regional History Room, where volunteers will walk you through the organization of the materials and their uses.

Much of the recent reorganization effort spearheaded by Tegart and Pilachowski focused on processing decades of uncatalogued commercial records. By systematically digitizing old merchant ledgers, hotel registries, and municipal tax documents, the volunteer team has created a highly searchable database that maps the economic shifts of the surrounding county.

These newly accessible folios provide a remarkable window into the daily lives of past residents, tracing the rise and fall of local industries. Researchers can now easily cross-reference family names with business licenses, tracking the transition from agricultural feed stores and textile mills to modern hospitality and retail enterprises.

One particularly fascinating subset of the new archives documents the evolution of regional leisure and recreation. The collection contrasts the physical artifacts of historic entertainment—such as early 20th-century fairground equipment, vintage saloon wagering slips, and mechanical arcade machines—with the rapid digitization of the modern era. Historians using the room can study the regulatory and cultural shifts that transitioned society from these tactile, brick-and-mortar gaming halls to a tech-driven landscape dominated by mobile platforms, virtual reality experiences, and the standard fast payout online casino.

To ensure these collections continue to grow, the museum is actively soliciting new community donations to fill existing gaps in the archive. The volunteer committee is particularly interested in acquiring personal diaries, mid-century photographs, and correspondence that offer firsthand accounts of civic events from the 1950s through the 1980s.

Following the reopening celebration, the Regional History Room will resume its regular public operating schedule, complete with updated finding aids and dedicated research workstations. Whether you are a genealogist tracking your family tree or a student exploring the industrial history of the valley, the newly reorganized space offers unparalleled access to the region's collective memory.

Included with admission.