Really nice people and a very cool way of displaying antiques to capture the history of the town. The museum doesn't have the budget to compete with big city places, but their "Streets of Old Shelby" is a clever way to assemble a large number of items by the type of business they would be found in. You can stroll through brick streets and look through windows into a variety of shops, a church, and a school. They have a livery stable and a blacksmith shop, a drug store with a soda shop, a millinery and a saloon. Each is stocked with actual items that have been gathered for the exhibit.
The rest of the museum features more traditional exhibits. There's a display for war veterans. There's a room with a scale model train that allows a lot of train history for Shelbyville to have a theme for display.
In the basement seemed to be a catch all of items like basketball teams, antique organs, Native American artifacts, and a small exhibit honoring the "twin cities" connection with a place in Japan. Not great on their own, but on display, none the less.
What I really want to point out is that the staff who run the place are very thoughtful and caring. I had called early in the morning to be sure they were open. So I got on the road. Something had come up and they were going to have to close early, but when they knew I was on my way, they agreed to hold the museum just for me since I had an hour long trip. I don't think most places would do that. They did. That's customer service for someone who doesn't even live in their town. I really appreciated their willingness to accommodate my visit to Shelbyville and allowing me to drop in. It's not always about what is on display.
Review #2269 read more