To enter the Online Tour for one of our rooms simply click on its name. Thank you for virtually visiting the Pioneer Museum!

 

Main Display

Here at MCHS the history comes to you right as you walk in the door. Our lobby is filled with several historical artifacts and pictures giving even quick visitors a glimpse of what we have to offer. On the west wall are artifacts and pictures from the year’s current theme. The theme for 2009-2010 is the dual 100 year anniversaries celebrated by Railway Motors and Fairmont Ford. The other large display in the middle of the lobby and on the south wall is our Sounds of Interlaken Music Display. It features instruments, posters, pictures, and other memorabilia from Martin County musicians of the past. Also featured are a restored KSUM sign and the neon Kickin’ Chicken sign from the Feed Bag restaurant. Even if you only make to the main lobby your trip to the Pioneer Museum will still be fun and educational!

 

Carlson Room

This room is the newest to the Pioneer Museum!  The Walter Carlson Room is dedicated to man whose life work was to serve the museum.  He contributed greatly to the Martin County Historical Society between 1949 and 1975, earning the title of Mr. History.  Within the Carlson Room, visitors will find many large items.  Along the far wall is a 1923 La France Firetruck used by the Fairmont Fire Department.  This firetruck took part in the Martin County Sesquicentennial celebration.  As it did when it was fully used, the firetruck drove its way through the parade route and looked as good as ever.  Surrounding the firetruck, visitors will also find various buggies and vehicles used by area residents to get around.  Besides having a wall dedicated to our local fire personnel, there is also a wall dedicated to local law enforcement.  Be careful not to get caught misbehaving here in the museum, you may end up in our jail cell!  In the area by the elevator, visitors will find an iron lung as well as the legendary Swamp Angel.  It was the creation of Harry Keck.  He used it to dig drainage ditches with oxen.  It was quite the operation!

 

Pioneer Room

As with any location in the world, Martin County had its pioneers.  These people lived and worked here to forge a better life for themselves.  In the process, they built homes and accumulated material items.  Here in the Pioneer Room, visitors will take a walk back in time to what a typical Martin County home would have looked like.  As a visitor walks through, they will notice items that would fill a bedroom, kitchen, dining area, and den.  Items range from turn of the century up to the 1950s.  Each item tells a story of what the county residents used to go about their daily lives within the home.  Notice the picture on the west wall by the elevator.  It is a picture of the Carvers.  Sam Carver is best known for his famous fight with Calvin Tuttle, the bully of Tuttle Lake.  When Tuttle attempted to force Carver into leaving his homestead, Carver challenged Tuttle to a fist fight.  The loser would leave the Tuttle Lake area and move elsewhere while the victor could stay.  Carver defeated Tuttle, who then moved away from Tuttle Lake.  Without pioneers like Carver, Martin County would not have become what it has today.

 

Brodt Room

Another important aspect of any local history is the industries that built up the area.  Martin County has been fortunate enough to have various industries that helped keep the local economy going.  Visitors will see former plant managers’ pictures from 3M, along with some of the company’s products.  Fairmont Railway Motors (now Harsco Track Technologies) was the most important company ever in Fairmont.  This company produced railway cars, the Potlatcher railcar, and other gas engine machines.  Railway Motors was the leading company that helped build up Fairmont in its early days.  Many of the former employees from this company still live in the Fairmont area.  Also located in the Brodt Room are the Martin County Centennial newspapers printed by the Fairmont Sentinel.  Above these papers is a picture of Sentinel co-founder Frank A. Day.  Day was an important man that helped foster the growth of Fairmont.  In the northeast corner of the room, visitors will find a display on the Banks of Martin County.  This display has different bank memorabilia as well as currency and bank certificates.  The Brodt Room displays the growth of Martin County from a small dot on the map into a place that many call home.

 

Military Room

As every county needs its pioneers, it also needs its heroes.  The Military Room is dedicated to the heroes of our county who have fought bravely over the years to protect us from harm.  Throughout the room visitors will find articles from the Civil War up to the current Iraq War.  On the east wall, one will find a letter written to soldiers on the eve of the Normandy Invasion from Dwight D. Eisenhower.  In it he tells the solider that their job is not an easy one but an important one in winning back freedom in Europe.  Also along this wall are the uniforms of the Posivios.  Both of the boys served in the Iraq War.  Daniel was killed in a car accident while Robert lost his life in battle.  Both young men served the people of Martin County with pride.  On the south wall, there is a picture of Capt. Frederick Wherland.  Wherland was the first weatherman of Martin County and English sea captain.  Visitors will also find a collection of arrowheads.  The Dakota lived in this area during the time of the Civil War and are as important as the pioneers in the makeup of Martin County.

 

Hallways and Staircase

As is the case throughout the museum every nook and cranny is filled with Martin County’s rich history and our hallways and staircases are no exception to this. In these areas we have placed many artifacts such as a model of the lake cruiser, Concord, which use to ferry and entertain passengers across Fairmont’s lakes and a rare egg collection put together by Martin County native Archie Whitman. There are also several old flags, a Wooten Patent Desk, fainting couch from the Martin County Courthouse, and weapons used by early Martin County Pioneers. So while you walk from room to room enjoy the many items that tell of the heritage of our great County.

 

Hunt Room

Here in the Hunt Room, visitors get a chance to see a dentist and doctor’s office.  In the southwest corner of the room, one can find a display of many pioneer doctors that kept Martin County residents in good health.  On the opposite side of the dividing wall is the dentist’s office.  Be sure to look at the pictures on the wall of dentistry over the years.  Want to see an entertaining radio personality?  Annabelle Webb was an eccentric character who filled the airwaves of KSUM.  Webb was often seen wearing flashy, oversized glasses.  There probably never has or ever will be a people quite like her again.  The entire east wall is dedicated to Fairmont pioneer William H. Budd.  Within these cabinets are the various tools used by Budd over the years.  Throughout the rest of the room, visitors will find various items that are identifiable with changing technology and the personality of Fairmont.  The glass cabinet on the right side display pins from various events.  On the left side of the room, the cabinets display the changing face of picture taking and other technologies.  For the kids, make sure to look at the south wall for the toys.

 

Welcome Room

Take a walk back in time to discover what materialistic objects people once had.  The Welcome Room, named for Alfred Welcome, contains the Welcome family collection.  Within the collection, visitors will find dishes, glasses, and even a curling iron!  Most of the objects in this room were possessions of the Welcome family.  The city of Welcome owes its namesake to Alfred Welcome.  The north wall takes visitors on a journey through the years of growth in Welcome and Sherburn.  Visitors will immediately notice the vast array of dresses within the room.  Some of these dresses belonged to Mrs. Welcome but the Pioneer Museum has accumulated countless others over the years.  The type of dresses range between wedding dresses and confirmation dresses.  In the southwest corner of the room, visitors will notice something peeking out from the hallway.  The robe is exactly what it looks like, a vintage Ku Klux Klan uniform.  Back in the early 1930s, the Klan thrived in Martin County.  Membership into the Klan cost only $10 and the group boasted 3,000 members in the county.  Many people probably learned in school that the Klan was a Southern phenomenon but it did grow in the North as well.

 

School Room

Do you hear the school bell ringing?  Step inside a vintage school room here at the Pioneer Museum.  As one can see, there are desks in the middle of the classroom facing the chalkboard.  The double desks came from District #3 in Waverly Township.  On the desk visitors will find items that school children within this country school would have had.  This room is filled with school spirit as trophies, pennants, and homecoming buttons are displayed proudly throughout.  On the corner of the east wall, there is a map of every country school that existed in Martin County.  Did you ever want to know where grandpa went to school but could never visualize it?  This map will put a better visual to that thought for you!  Looking towards the north wall, there is a display of books written by Martin County authors.  These authors either currently reside in Martin County or were born here.  Next to this display is a picture of Lorraine Swearingen, Fairmont’s first teacher.  In 1926, when she died, Swearingen’s obituary was featured on the front page of the Sentinel.  It just goes to show that education was an important part of the growth of Martin County.

 

Research Room

At MCHS one of the main reasons people come to visit is to research on a wide variety of topics from family genealogy to business history. The Pioneer Museum houses many, many resources from all eras of Martin County History to help accommodate these research requests. In the research library the walls are lined with Fairmont Sentinels dating back to 1874, which are also available on microfilm for the years 1900-Present. Photos, City Directories, Primary Documents, Church Histories and much, much more can be found here. An island counter and historic meeting table provide lots of room for researchers of all ages to use our resources. The Reading Room also houses newspaper from all corners of Martin County. The Genealogy Room is the most recent addition to our research resources. The Martin County Genealogical Society moved into our building and brought with them their immense collection of records and information. The room was redone into a nice, bright workspace and filled with all sorts of genealogical items. There is so much interesting and useful knowledge floating around these rooms!