Rural Hall Museum offers glimpse into the past

Rural Hall Museum offers glimpse into the past

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People tour the Rural Hall Historical Society Museum during an open house (Submitted Photo)

Meghann Evans, Managing Editor
Located in the heart of Rural Hall is a treasure trove of history. Though the Rural Hall Historical Society Museum only encompasses four or five rooms, a person could spend hours, maybe even days, studying the various items of historical significance on display.
The Rural Hall Historical Society is composed of around 20 members, and it operates a museum in the old town hall, located at 145 Bethania Street. The museum was established several years ago to preserve the town’s history.
Near the end of February, the society held an open house for the museum, as it has done a few times in the past, to generate interest in the museum.
“The turnout was pretty good,” noted Miranda Griffin, vice president, who said around 40 people signed in. “There were several that had not been here (before).”
She is hoping many of those people will come back to explore the museum further, where the purpose is “to preserve Rural Hall history for the future.”
Mary Lee Smith, society treasurer, said she hopes people will support and visit the museum “for the historical value, and in some cases, it’s their heritage.”
Located in the museum are hundreds of items from the early days of Rural Hall, some dating back to the mid 1800s. Over the years various groups and individuals have donated or loaned items to the museum.
When browsing through, people might stumble across World War II uniforms and memorabilia, 1800s clothing, a ca. 1835 window from the Bitting House, newspaper clippings from the turn of the century, books and documents pertaining to family lineages, old diaries, photos of Rural Hall’s early days, Lions Club and Boy Scout memorabilia, a made-to-scale model of the town by Durward Smith, and much more.
“We get so much in, we can’t keep up,” noted Griffin. But the society does have a few specific items it is looking for, such as a picture of the old E.L. Kiser’s Store.
In the McCoy-Helsabeck Family Histories Room, people can look through old documents, books and newspapers to try to research their family history. The society always welcomes more information about families from the area so it can expand its information.
Smith said, “I’d love to see a lot of people in Rural Hall come in and share their family history.”
The former town manager office has been set up as the Business/Association Room and will house artifacts and displays from businesses and associations from Rural Hall and the surrounding area.
Griffin said she does not think most people in the town are aware of just how many items are in the museum. Her favorite items are the old window from the Bitting House and a picture of the oldest house in town, because they are the oldest items she can connect to.
Smith is proud of the model of the town, because her husband created it over a span of 10 to 15 years. She said, “I’m just real proud of what he did.”
The society would like to get more shelving and do a formal inventory of items in the future. There are more items in the basement, such as old tintype photos, that have yet to be displayed.
The museum is open each Wednesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Anyone is welcome to stop by and enjoy snacks and chat with volunteers while browsing through the collection.
For those interested in helping preserve the town’s history, the cost to join the Rural Hall Historical Society is $10 for individuals annually, $15 for families, and $150 for a lifetime membership. For more information, visit rh-historicalsociety.org or email Griffin at miranda.griffin@rh-historicalsociety.org.

This article appeared in the March 16 edition of The Weekly Independent.

Read more: Rural Hall Weekly Independent Newspaper