Galena History Museum offers unique
insight into history, is one of Midwest' tops and most overlooked museum
treasures
by Daniel Hines
Publisher
America's Seniors/TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com
Sitting quietly atop Galena is Bench
Street, overlooking Galena's bustling Main Street tourist traffic, home
to the Jo Davies Galena History Museum.
And, probably because of the trek up
the steep steps leading to the Bench Street location, too many of
the million or so tourists who visit Galena each year, miss the
opportunity to see some truly historic pieces of Americana and enjoy
what is one of the best community museums we have seen.
Consider:
You can view Commodore Perry's Battle Flag from his ship during the
famous 1812 fight on Lake Erie.
Interested in unique displays? Inside
the Museum walls is an actual lead mine--not a replica, but an actual
mine of the type that made Galena a center of
commerce in the 19th century. The deep shaft offers a rare insight into
the world of the miners of that era, and its complete restoration is a
major goal of the Museum,.
Of course, there are items honoring
U.S. Grant, the patron of Galena's historical background, including a replica of the Grant Leather Shop, the General and President's West
Point Commission, and even an authenticated cigar stub smoked by Grant.
If
that isn't enough, the Museum also houses the original massive painting
of the surrender of Robert E. Lee to General Grant, another example of
the truly priceless items to be enjoyed during a Museum visit.
The painting is familiar to millions
of people, having been reprinted and even made into a postage
stamp. But, it is difficult to describe the magnificent sweep of
seeing this masterpiece in person.
The Museum also houses many other
truly interesting pieces and exhibits, made possible by the donations of
those interested in truly preserving the heritage of the
area.
The day we visited, volunteers were
carting a beautiful--but massive--desk up three flights of stairs
in the beautiful Italianate home built as a private residence in 1858 by
Galena merchant Daniel Barrows.
And, as Executive Director Daryl
Watson gave us a tour of the facility, it was obvious that the Museum is
more than a collection of artifacts depicting a long-ago past.
Actually, it is a presentation of Galena's heritage as a 'living' and
ongoing article of Galena today.
This reflects Daryl's belief that
history is a vibrant part of not only the past, but of the history that
is being made today. A native of the region, he has a profound love for
Galena's history that is shared by the rest of the staff and the
volunteers who, since 1938, have made the Museum possible.
Because of that, the Museum's exhibits
not only include the wonderful one-of-a-kind items described above, but
donations from a number of sources that reflect both the ordinary--and
therefore the unique--parts of Galena's history such as clothing, Civil
War letters, pictures, and just about anything that has helped
provide Galena with its unique history.
The Museum isn't content with just
housing the exhibits, though. It has an informative web site at http://www.galenahistorymuseum.org.
It also sponsors the wonderful Galena home tour, providing an
opportunity to see up close and personal some of the wonderful homes of
the city. It also has an Annual Historic Cemetery Walk, a Mistletoe Ball
(and, yes, you may dress in period costumes, making it not uncommon to
see ball attendees and their ladies in Civil War-era outfits), a
Chocolate and Champagne Ball (held in the historic DeSoto House Hotel),
and a Galena Garden Walk, featuring the beautiful landscaping of the
many beautiful homes in Galena.
The Museum, then, is a touchstone for
Galena's history. It is the one source that has brought together
the many elements of this rich heritage, extending the historic reach
beyond a single interest. The result is a rich mosaic, a tapestry
of Galena's--and our--history.
This is, in large part, a tribute to
those citizens who recognize that Galena is truly a unique
community. It is also a tribute to Daryl Watson, and to the
volunteers who, with limited funding, have made the Museum into one of
the best in the Midwest.
So, the next time you visit Galena,
and are enjoying the wonderful shops and restaurants, take a look at the
hill overlooking the bustle. Then make that trek up the steps to find
out just what the contribution of past generations was that has made all
this possible.
Now,
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nt, another example of
the truly priceless items to be enjoyed during a Museum visit.