The Hinckley Fire Museum is built at the renovated St. Paul and Duluth train depot. It shares the logging history of Hinckley up to the fire of 1894, and the aftermath and rebuilding of the town.
Sandy, the museum curator, meets you at the door where you pay your admission fee. She set the mood by telling you how the train station was used in the 1890's, and the various rooms. The museum in a cellphone free zone "as it scares the ladies". She is clearly a master of her subject and a wealth of information and history about the town.
The Beanery (the station restaurant, because, as Sandy reminds you, there is no dining available on trains in the 1890's) has the majority of historical artifacts, including how people survived, who lived, who died, and some items that survived the fire.
In the freight room there's a 20-minute video presentation each hour featuring stories and reenactments of the fire. Also in that room is a replica of the doctor's home office. Sandy also set the tone for this show by telling stories of town folks. After the video presentation, Sandy tells you about artwork made by U of M studens
You can also see (but not enter) the communications room where the train man perished in the fire but kept the trains running, and the upstairs station masters' house, complete with period furnishings and accoutrements.
Downstairs in the foyer "men's waiting room", there is a gift store.
After you visit the museum, drive across the highway to see the impressive granite fire memorial tower.
It's a neat little museum, a good place to spend an hour and 5 bucks if you get tired of the casino and Tobie's, and want to do something different in town. read more