Artifacts hold a piece of the story of how we got to where we are today, so in turn it should be preserved and displayed for younger generations to enjoy.
That sentiment is evident in the community members that came together and established a museum at City Hall, and at the Intermodal Transportation Center.
Each museum has a theme, for the most part. The theme at the Intermodal Transportation Center is railroads. There visitors can find items that relate to the extensive rail system that used to cross through this county.
But, the museum at City Hall caters to pretty much anything dealing with Pearl River County.
Artifacts from our history not only show us where we’ve been, but also where we are going. One of the items on display at the City Hall museum is a set of bed sheets made from cloth bags.
Coarse cotton typically does not make for a comfortable sleeping surface, but according to the display, farm families took measures to soften the material. Such an item shows the ingenuity people living decades ago employed to not only makes ends meet, but have a taste of the finer things.
A compelling aspect of these museums is that Pearl River County residents donated these items. As the Item toured the facility during the grand opening and came to a high school jacket from the now shuttered and long demolished Industrial High School, a woman walked up and proclaimed with enthusiasm that she was the one who donated the jacket. As she looked it over she remarked on how she was able to keep the jacket in such good shape.
Another curious item that will soon be on display at the museum are two C. & R. Stores Inc. coins. According to local lore, these coins were only accepted in their store, and were used as payment to employees of certain businesses of the time.
Certainly such an item is rare, and while it has little to no monetary value, its true value lies in its part in the story of Pearl River County.