Description:
The Martin County Historical Society began as an organization in 1929, with the first meetings being held in the county courthouse in Fairmont. The MCHS was officially incorporated in 1954. The St. Paul's Catholic School, no longer in use after classes were moved to a new building, was purchased by Dr. & Mrs. Roscoe Hunt for the MCHS to use as a museum in 1956; the school was rechristened as the Pioneer Museum. Since then the museum has only grown with new displays and projects. In 1994-95 an addition to the museum was constructed which now holds the main lobby area. In 2003 a Research Library and additional offices were formed. An elevator was added on in 2007. Recently in 2009 the house adjacent to the museum was purchased. This home was previously the rectory for the St. Paul’s Catholic Priests who were associated with the school which now houses the museum. The building is currently being restored in the fashion of a 1910s-1930s style home by our helpful committee of generous and amazing volunteers. This significant purchase not only adds historic flavor to the MCHS campus but will also provide much needed extra space for displays and artifacts. Another critical addition has been the Martin County Genealogy Society who has been making the Pioneer Museum its home since 2008.
The MCHS features numerous displays throughout its three stories. The basement holds many of our larger items including very old motor vehicles and carriages, the county’s first motorized fire truck, and police and fire department displays. The main floor houses the lobby which has an excellent local music display and a new display based on the county’s old homes, with several excellent pictures, both new and old. The main floor also has three rooms based on Pioneer living, military history, and commercial history from the county’s past. The upper floor also has three display rooms that showcase the area’s educational past, fashions throughout time, medical history, and cultural/entertainment/sports history.
The Pioneer Museum is admission free during normal operating hours and we encourage everyone who has some free time to stop on down to check out our artifacts and displays or to do some research using the research library and the Genealogy Society’s resources.