The Hammond Museum, Part 2

I was touring the Hammond Museum (see also Part 1, posted yesterday) and came to this scale model railroad, once the primary means of moving goods in the area:

And yes, this rural part of America once moved people by stage coach:

A demonstration of Victorian elegance:

William McNeil (in yesterday's post) was not the only grizzled early pioneer with a larger than life personality. The museum also honored Ezra Brockway, who became rich selling salve. He purchased an island in the St. Lawrence, where he lived as a hermit for the rest of his life, becoming stranger and stranger with each passing year. He was found with his front door open one winter and hauled back to town to thaw out, but it was too late. Ezra Brockway had been too cold for too long, and he died:

There were lots of small artifacts donated by local residents but this one really caught my attention. This metal "Lil Abner Orchestra" was once someone's treasure:

 

The Hammond Fire Department bell:

 

A one room school house:

This elaborate stained glass window once graced the local Odd Fellows hall:

 

A Victorian parlor scene:

Wedding and funeral dresses:

I was taken next door to the second stone building and let inside for a second tour. That barn in the background, by the way, was also part of the museum:

Right inside the door was this broom holder, a curious but useful invention which might prove handy even today. But I'll wait until tomorrow to show you what else I found inside the stone building: