Gouverneur Museum - The Cellar

I'd toured the first and second floors of the museum and then descended the narrow stairs into the cavernous cellar. There I found extensive rock and mineral exhibits in addition to this model mine mill:

Gouverneur was once noted for its mines and production of marble, talc and zinc:


And apparently of lead, as well:


This, if I remember correctly, was a collection of relics from the above mentioned St. Joe Lead Mine:


Gouverneur is also home to Kinney Drugs, a large chain of over 90 stores and pharmacies. So there were lots of medical supplies on display:

And who was that man with the charming smile? It was Burt O. Kinney, founder of Kinney Drugs in 1903:


There were lots of old medicines, bottles - and a wonderful old microscope:

Bedpans, scales, doctor's bags and much more:

Eyeglasses:

And a Victorian Era wheelchair:

And just outside of the medical room was the exhibit I'd most looked forward to seeing, the one thing which would make a little boy in a grownup's body drive for over an hour on a winter's day to see:

The famous two-headed calf, which was once used as a sales tool to promote "Payne's Calf Saver." The calf was encased in glass which reflected a lot of light. It was difficult to photograph, but I gave it my best shot.

There was only one more place to see in the museum's cellar, a room filled with antique business machines - typewriters, adding machines and cash registers:

There was a table lined with old typewriters which children were encouraged to try. A tour guide explained how you could push on a key, causing an arm to swing forward and print a letter on the paper. What really alarmed me was the children's reactions. They were amazed, almost as if it was magic. They'd never seen anything like this before. Well, that sure made me feel old! But I'd come to the end of my tour and walked slowly across the icy sidewalks to my car. I'd truly enjoyed this town's museum: