| The Douglas County Museum's formal, board-approved exhibition policy states that our exhibits
are to be used to communicate to the public the significance of our heritage within a local, state, and/or
national context. Our exhibits are used as tools to educate an audience which, prior to the creation of the
Douglas County Museum, had no opportunity to learn about the rich history of the area and the role which the
county also played in the context of state and national history. The Douglas County Museum is the only
cultural arts center within 25 miles. Exhibits cover a wide range of topics, including cultural and economic
forces in the county's history, such as religion, agriculture, and prehistoric conditions. Topics of exhibits
are not dictated by what objects are in our collection. Instead, themes are based on aspects of history which
have never been studied, evaluated, or interpreted on a local level. Rather than concentrating on the history
of one section of the county, the museum reaches out to many area towns to find historical artifacts which
help interpret and develop one common theme for each new short-term exhibit. The museum board decided that
exhibits should be broad in scope but short in duration in order to encompass a wider audience and generate
extensive community involvement. Based on this, as well as the fact that our facility is too small to handle
both permanent and temporary exhibits, our museum has no permanent exhibit.
Incorporated into exhibits are not only objects from our collection, but also items on short-term loan from
the general public and reproductions. We use computer-created text labels. Spotlights highlight particular
objects. Exhibits are sometimes complemented with taped music and videos. They also generally include audience
participation in some form. For example, during the farm exhibits, guests had the opportunity to milk a dairy
cow and answer a "Farmer's Quiz" about tool usage. Docents give guided tours. Often, educational handouts are
distributed to guests. Attention-getting devices are used to draw our visitors to the content of exhibits.
During the farm exhibit for instance, we put a tractor in our parking lot. A flashing crossing sign was
incorporated into the railroad exhibit. It is the philosophy of the board that the more personalized the
exhibits, the more clearly our audience can understand how history affects their own lives.
"Tuscola - 150 Years of Memories" [Exhibit has now ended.]
News Release...
The Douglas County Museum is filled with hundreds upon hundreds of dolls, some of which
are on display in memory of area mothers who were doll lovers during their lifetime. Dolls “Simple to
Sophisticated” included in the exhibit range from antique dolls dated back to the 1850s and 60s up to recent
dolls manufactured after the year 2000. Museum director Lynnita Brown noted that the display includes
everything from traditional baby dolls to character dolls. “We have the Little Rascals and the Munsters, Pee
Wee Herman and Toy Story character dolls, along with many other novelty dolls. We also have Skookums,
American Girl, Cabbage Patch, Anri, Enchanted Dollhouse, Barbie and Ken, GI Joe, Madame Alexander, and Chatty
Cathy-type dolls. There are paper dolls from the 1890s and later, porcelain dolls, soft-sculpture dolls,
Shirley Temple displays, Miss Revlon, Strawberry Shortcake, Patsy, Effanbee, Princess Diana, cornhusk dolls,
baby dolls, and trolls.” Brown said that the dolls on exhibit are wooden, paper, plastic, leather, cloth,
porcelain, and tin. There are also doll accessories and other doll-related items.
Museum hours are Monday through Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday afternoon 1 p.m. to 4
p.m. Admission is free. Bus parking is available.
"A Salute to Veterans" [Exhibit has now ended.]
Click HERE to view a Photo Album of the exhibit
News Release....
An exhibit to honor veterans is now open and will remain in the Douglas County Museum, 700 S. Main St.,
Tuscola, IL until December 31, 2006. [Museum note: This exhibit was held over until April 20, 2007.]
Created to say thank you to American veterans, "A Salute to Veterans" recognizes local veterans who have
served their country throughout American history.
The exhibit features uniforms, war memorabilia, and travel souvenirs brought home by veterans. All
branches of the military are represented, with artifacts on display ranging from the Civil War through the
war on terrorism. One wall of the exhibit is a solemn Gold Star tribute to Illinois veterans killed in
the Iraqi war.
"Many of the items on loan and from the museum's permanent collection are rare and unique," noted the
museum director Lynnita Brown. "We've got everything from a nuclear warhead carrier to a chaplain's
field worship kit." According to Brown, the Douglas County Museum owns a significant military
collection. "Veterans are important to the trustees of the Museum Association," Brown said. "We
owe our freedom to them and therefore we are making every effort to preserve the artifacts associated with
those who served, fought, and died for the sake of that freedom. We want the next generation to
appreciate their sacrifices. The three-dimensional objects in the museum's collection will hopefully
help them gain an understanding of our veterans and what they had to endure for the sake of freedom,
particularly those who served in combat zones."
A main feature on the museum's exhibit floor is its "triple case." One section of the case features
a wide variety of World War I memorabilia, including uniforms, items found in back packs, and a World War I
quilt made by the ladies of the Arthur Baptist Church dated November 11, 1918. Another section of the case
honors prisoners of war. The third section is a tribute to Cory Hubbell, a Champaign County veteran
who died in Iraq. The tribute features a quilt presented to Cory's family from the Marine Comfort
Quilt Project.
Ten side-by-side exhibit cases feature the personal memorabilia of servicemen who were in Korea, Vietnam,
World War II, and World War I. They represent the Marine Corps, submarine veterans, Seebees, Aleutian
Island veterans, and more. A portion of a cargo parachute that dropped supplies during the Battle of
the Bulge is exhibited, as is communications equipment, unique travel souvenirs brought back from war, a
house replica filled with children's military items, and a flight jacket.
"Thanks to the Sons of Union Veterans," Brown said, "we've got a truly outstanding representation of
Civil War memorabilia, including weaponry, GAR artifacts, calling cards, and more. We even have a
quilt that was made from two Civil War uniforms. There were two holes in one of the uniforms because
its owner was killed in action." A display featuring a rare collection of women's military uniforms
from World War I to present is proving very popular with the museum visitors, according to Brown.
Splashed with red, the case features WAVE, WAC, Army nurse, and Women Marine memorabilia. Patriotic
sheet music with emphasis on World War I songs is on display. There are also books, photographs,
service branch flags, and a wide assortment of military ephemera.
The museum staff also brings a portion of the exhibit to local schools with a traveling educational
program called, "The Ammo Box." Available by reservation on a week-by-week basis to area schools, the
Ammo Box is filled with hands-on artifacts associated with East Central Illinois and the Home Front during
World War II.
A variety of fundraisers and other events open to the public are being held in the museum while the
Salute to Veterans exhibit is open. Among them are three USO-type dances (October 14, November 11, and
December 9) and a performance by the Sweet Adelines on November 10 (the Marine Corps' 231st birthday).
Holiday events will be held in December.
"A Salute to Veterans" is open Monday through Wednesday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday afternoon 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
Veterans organizations, other groups, and individuals can also tour the exhibit after regular museum hours
by contacting Lynnita Brown at 217-253-2535 (museum), 253-4620 (her home) or e-mail
lynnita@koreanwar-educator.org. The museum is
wheelchair accessible, there is bus parking, and admission is free.
"A Millennium of Motorcycle Madness" [Exhibit has now ended.]
Thanks in large part to museum trustee Sharilyn Kibler Russell who suggested it and played a huge role in
planning and supervising it, this unique exhibit was quite a hit. During the four short months that “A
Millennium of Motorcycle Madness” was on display, several thousand motorcycle enthusiasts poured into the
Douglas County Museum to see the 60+ motorcycles loaned to the museum for the exhibit.
In addition to the big machines, there was a replica of a motorcyclist’s garage, complete with bikes,
tools, books, photographs, and more. There were hundreds of toy and model motorcycles of all eras, brands,
and values. Additionally, there were books, magazines, barn-fresh motors, riding gear, photographs, gnome
houses, vintage brochures, quilts, metal signs, posters, trophies, tools, collector plates, bike parts,
cards, banners, and ceramics loaned by members of area A.B.A.T.E. chapters as well as by individuals all
over East Central Illinois.
During the exhibit, the museum staff sold Motorcycle Madness tee shirts, coasters, Biker Atlases, and
peanut brittle. (We discovered that bikers have a sweet tooth.) But the biggest fund-raiser of all during
the exhibit was the museum’s raffle for a 2004 Harley Davidson V-rod. John Murray of Tuscola sold 32 tickets
on behalf of the museum to his co-workers at British Petroleum in Oregon, Ohio. Of those, four were among
the last ten tickets to be drawn, and one of them was the winning ticket. The sale of all of these items
brought in over $10,000 clear for the Douglas County Museum, pulling the museum well out of its precarious
financial situation. Not only was the exhibit productive financially, it was also a great deal of fun. That
old notion that bikers are wild and woolly characters went out the window as Christian bike groups, lady
bikers, and a host of other really terrific visitors poured into the Douglas County Museum to see one very
classy exhibit. To be sure, a few “woolly” visitors did come in, but each and every one of them proved to be
just as classy as the exhibit itself. Our front door collection box spilled over with generous donations
time and time again, and the words of praise to the staff for staging such a grand exhibit were forthcoming
on a continual basis.
Our special thanks goes out to Sharilyn for all the hard work that she put into the exhibit. So many
A.B.A.T.E. members and folks from the general public played a role in this successful exhibit (the most
financially successful exhibit in the history of the museum) that we don’t dare to even try to thank them
individually. We do want to give a warm thank you to member Bob Kellogg, however. Bob came in almost every
week to keep the museum open on Fridays. He also helped us tally up the number of visitors who came to see
the exhibit, and occasionally he assisted us with our bookkeeping.
"Where were you during World War II?" [Exhibit has now ended.]
One of the Douglas County Museum's most popular exhibits illustrates the answer to the question in its
title. The museum participated in the U.S. Department of Defense's 50th anniversary of World War II
Commemorative Community Program. "Where Were You During World War II?" was an exhibit created to educate the
public about the global nature of that war. As soon as people heard the title, they began to respond to the
exhibit, even before they arrived at the museum to see it, by reminiscing about where they were 50 years
ago. More than 200 residents of East Central Illinois loaned their wartime mementoes, resulting in a very
personalized story about a war which spanned the continents. The exhibit made the news on three television
stations, was featured in two major daily newspapers, was the subject of several radio talk shows, and was
highlighted in area weekly newspapers. Attendance from October 1-December 31 was almost 4,000.
There were over 200 photographs of servicemen and women in uniform, as well as the names of parents who
awaited their return from war. One display mourned the death of area servicemen, while a prisoner of war
exhibit told about those held in captivity. We displayed field worship kits and pocket Bibles,
communications equipment, collections of enemy plunder, Allied and enemy weapons, and personal scrapbooks.
Volunteers built a 4 foot by 10 foot house to exhibit items from the homefront. In it were ration stamps
and books, a play soldier's uniform but a real child's gas mask, feed sacks used for clothing, era
magazines, steel pennies, and even a pair of clogs which transformed into roller skates during gasoline
rationing. One special case held travel souvenirs--a coconut, grass skirt and coral from the South Pacific,
trench art from Guam, Australian postcards, Icelandic coins, ivory from India, etc. The keepsakes told our
visitors where their owners were during World War II.
Freestanding displays included an Army jeep, American flag, USO dress, cadet nurse's uniform, war bride
dresses, and a special showcase with photographs of Nazi concentration camp atrocities. Facts on the
consequences of World War II in casualties, prisoners of war, dollars, land-water-air losses, etc.
interspersed the displays.
Our visitors could open a mailbox to retrieve samples of war-era mail. They could post a note on a
special bulletin board which asked, "Where were you during World War II?" They could also search showcases
for answers to our "World War II facts scavenger hunt." A mini-library in the exhibit included a bookshelf
of war-related books and photo albums, card table, and chairs for browsing. Sentimental music wafted through
the museum. A USO dance was held in conjunction with the exhibit, as well as a Veteran's Day open house and
dinner, a concert of 1940s music, and two educational programs.
Other Past Exhibits
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(Click pix for a larger view)
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Other past exhibits in the Douglas County Museum are numerous. They include:
- Turn Your Radio On
- Childhood Memories
- Cups, Saucers, & Cross Stitch
- Farm Exhibit
- The Korean War: Cold, Bloody, & Forgotten
- A Glimpse at the 50's and 60's: Toys, Fashions, Music & More
- Every Day Should Be Veterans Day
- The Pride & the Pain of Housework
- Indians and Stone Tools
- The Evolution of Photography
- The History of Religion
- One Hundred Years of Romance
- Anchors Around the Globe: Sea Services in Peacetime & War
- Trains, Tracks, & Photographs
- Costume Jewelry: Junk or Jewels?
- Time is Precious: Make it count
- Sports Fan
- Quilts That Warm the Heart
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