Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Circa 1966, the Eddy County Historical Society enters the newly donated Dodds Schoolhouse. The building has now become home to a number of historic artifacts from Eddy County's early days.
By the mid-1980s three historic buildings were in place at the grounds, and finally the artifacts had space to stretch out and be on display. Note the Brantford Depot can be seen in the background. Photo circa 1985.
The Stavanger Church building now serves as a gathering space. It houses a houses a number of early day artifacts, military uniforms and memorabilia as well as various religious items including the altar original to the Stavanger Church.
For much of the past two years, the Stavanger Church at the Eddy County Museum has been undergoing renovations. As a result, museum-goers have had limited access - until this past week, when museum staff opened the doors to all the buildings and invited the public to an old-fashioned dessert social.
Approximately 40 patrons visited over homemade desserts and amidst artifacts of yesteryear. Some of them dated well over a century old. (I am of course referring to the artifacts, not the patrons.)
It was nearly 50 years ago that the Eddy County Museum and Historical Society was founded. In 1964, members of the Minerva Club, Pioneer Daughters, and the Mid-Morning Club joined together to preserve Eddy County's history.
Judging by the accession records, many of those involved in forming the historical society had already done a fair share of collecting antiquities from around the area.
Some of the most generous collectors donated items from their own ancestral heritage, as well as items they had purchased at estate sales. It wasn't so much that these objects were "old," as it was they were "significant." In 1960, times were changing rapidly and it was quite apparent that the early days of Eddy County were a thing of the past.
Two world wars had passed and the community was looking toward the future. Today the museum continues in these footsteps by maintaining the artifacts and the spaces where they live.
