The Grinnell Historical Museum is the one house in Grinnell, Iowa that holds the town’s treasures. Treasures that we, in the 21st century, would call antiques but back in the days of horse and buggy would be called necessities.
When I first entered the museum I was expecting to find nothing of any value, only dusty trinkets that had once belonged to some “great person”. Let’s just say that I was sorely mistaken. The steps up to the front door I learned were the most expensive part of the house to build. Now they are nothing fancy, just stone carved into steps, but back in the day that they were built it cost about $1000.
The moment that you walk in to old house your attention is drawn straight away to the display of ample Victorian dress that 4 manikins are sporting. Miss Clara Baggs wore one of the dresses, a black silk dolman, in the early 1880’s. Next into the drawing room the old couches of the era are on display along with numerous amounts of antiques all dated by their era, the year they were manufactured, who used them, and last but not least who donated them.
As you walk up the old creaky stairs you are greeted by many old paintings and photographs of the once established society members. At the top you have a choice of left or right. Both will lead you into one of the 4 bedrooms or the one lone bathroom in the entire house. As you walk down the back housekeepers steps you see the kitchen and the laundry room.
Down in the basement you see the remains of the old Spaulding Buggy Company that used to be run out of house, between 1889-1909. Ford Company and their idea of the assembly line later put the company out of business.
All and all I really enjoyed this museum and I hope to one day to go back and see more of the treasures that it has to offer.