Thursday, December 12, 2024

Revitalizing history: Springtown Legends Museum celebrates grand reopening

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SPRINGTOWN — Since 1856, Springtown has cultivated a rich history which is now on display as the Springtown Legends Museum is open once again.

Springtown Legends Museum has been revamped thanks to Museum Coordinator Amy Hedges.

Hedges spoke about the historic museum and how it's been a long-standing staple in the Springtown community. The museum is in the historic Hutcheson house at 839 N Main St. and has been closed since 2020. The museum was originally opened 23 years ago by a couple who were historians and educators.

Assistant City Manager and City Secretary Christina Derr said she’s proud of this endeavor and wants the community to be involved in this project.

“This is a project I'm extremely proud of and that we hope the community will just be as proud of,” Derr said. “We really want this to be the community's museum. The city is overseeing it, but we want everybody who would like to be a part of it to play a role.”

The museum opened Friday Nov. 1, when Hedges hosted a come-and-go reception at the museum from 4 to 6 p.m.

“We are preserving the legacy of Springtown communities while maintaining a focus on education and community innovation,” Hedges said. “Legends envisions a future that has learned from the past in order to develop a community built upon innovation, creativity and cultural growth. What that means is that within the museum, we are hoping to set up programs in order for all of those opportunities for our people within the Springtown community.”

Hedges went on to say the museum will have five collections displayed inside, including natural history, furnishings, archival history and military history.

The museum used to have collections of items scattered all over the building. Hedges said it will now have a schedule where people can come at certain times and will have certain collections displayed throughout the year. The museum will also have programs for kids to participate in like story time and STEM time.

Hedges said she also hopes for Springtown citizens to donate items, pictures or artifacts for the museum. For more information on the Springtown Legends Museum or the Springtown Area Chamber of Commerce, go to www.springtownchamber.org.