New exhibits at the Manhattan History Museum – The Herald-News

MANHATTAN The Manhattan History Museum has introduced new exhibits and a redecorated display space this month.

Along with its regular exhibits, two new ones are currently being showcased A Household in Time and Manhattan Township: 30,000 BCE to 1886.

A Household in Time features a trip back in time, presenting the retro-style household items used by our ancestors in their daily lives to work, play, parent and keep up the house. On display are many hand-operated devices that are precursors to modern appliances. From a crank-operated sausage maker to a pedal-powered sewing machine, this exhibit takes viewers back to an earlier time. This exhibit will be semi-permanent in that parts of it will be changed over time to present various aspects of early domestic life.

Manhattan Township: 30,000 BCE to 1886 is a journey through time. Common belief has it, before the Village of Manhattan was incorporated, much of the land was settled by Irish and German immigrants who left their homelands seeking the opportunity provided by the construction of the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Following the completion of the canal, many of the workers settled into a life of agriculture. But what forces led to the construction of the canal in this area, formed the soils and caused trails to course through the tall grasses? What prompted early settlers to brave the hardships of the treeless prairie and convert the grasslands into productive farms and thriving communities? This exhibit studies these forces. The journey through history begins with the warming of the climate at the end of the most recent Ice Age and ends with the incorporation of the village we know today.

These exhibits will run for several months at the Manhattan History Museum at 225 S. State St. For information such as scheduled openings and tour opportunities, visit the museums Facebook page by searching Manhattan Historical Society.

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New exhibits at the Manhattan History Museum - The Herald-News