As you walked down Broadway last Friday evening, you heard the bark of a youngster, dressed up in 1920’s clothes as a newsboy. He was passing out programs for the Breathitt County Museum on the street corner out front, and his call was clear and concise.

“Extra! Extra! Read All About It! A Night At The Museum Tonight!”

You get a program from him and look at it, as you go up the steps outside the Senior Citizens Building. A shoeshine boy awaits you, ready to spruce up the footwear you’ve got on. It doesn’t matter if you wear flip-flops, or if your toes are touched up by his brush. They still do it, with a smile.

Working your way inside, a Bluegrass band plays in the lobby, pickin’ in the mix of the humid air outside and the refreshing air conditioning inside. You sign your name on the guest register, walk the flight of stairs, and open the door.

Immediately you’re transformed back into time, as Museum members, volunteers and other interested citizens take you back to a period when our county’s past was as vivid and vital as our present is now.

Well over a hundred persons came in for the first-ever “Night At The Event”. For over two hours, those who showed up saw characters step out of the 19th and 20th Centuries, giving a living illustration on how life was in our county back then.

In an area highlighted by farming tools, such as an old plow, an old corn grinder and an ox yoke, Robert Cundiff was dressed in farm clothes, showing children a green vegetable they probably weren’t familiar with. “This is okra. You slice this, put it in meal, put it in a pan and it’s good eatin’. And in this other hand is red okra. I didn’t know it existed. We’re growing it this year up on War Creek.” The self-professed “Mayor of War Creek” was floored by the number of youngsters who flocked upstairs to the exhibits that night. “All these things they see here, like the plows and this saw for ice, you can’t buy today. The children have been fascinated by this, and we want people of our county to be aware of the treasures here at our Museum. Coal mining, pie making, photography, you name it, we’ve got it.”

Just a few feet away, across from exhibits on Geneology and Hunting, was an area spotlighting Open Hearth Cooking. Lots of cast iron skillets were seen, along with aprons and potholders. In the center of it all, Karen Griffith was showing four people how homemakers of yesteryear made hand pies. “It’s like pie dough,” talking about the crust for her homemade delicacies. “But it’s a little bit thinner than biscuit dough.” Dressed in a Gingham dress with a big bonnet over her head, Griffith then made marks on the dough with a fork, “so the apple filling won’t come out of the pie.” After offering a little girl a hand pie to sample, Karen commented. “The neatest thing is people say ‘I remember that. My Mom used to do that’, or ‘My Grandma made pies just like this.’ The children appreciate this, the parents remember it. And wearing this dress like they used to wear makes you appreciate how easy things in the kitchen are now.”

The women of the 19th Century were quilters, too. And a few feet to the right, one could see an old Singer sewing machine - one that was operated when a woman put her foot under the pedal, pumping the pedal up and down. A collection of spinning wheels, weaving loom, and wild plants to be used for dyes colored the exhibit. In a rocking chair, also dressed in a period costume, sat Janie Griffith. When children asked her what she was doing, the Museum’s Director said, “Quilting. Yes, I really do quilt in real life. I’ve done several of them, and right now I’m ‘piecing’ one together. This quilt that I’m doing is called ‘The Flower Garden’, and it’s made up of hundreds of little mosaic pieces.” Several of the quilts she made graced the table next to her, and she asked people there to feel free to take pictures of the works she created.

Throughout the evening, the flash from cameras popped as visitors got pictures of the exhibits. Or pictures of the people involved, such as Diane Little and Victor Jones in the school and education area. Where Charles Hayes, dapperly dressed for the period with a bowler hat, striped shirt, vest and fake mustache, had an old-time camera in front. And Brownie Wallace could be found, showing the tools of the trade her father once used as a barber in Jackson for several decades in the 20th Century.

Uniformed as a nurse, Nancy Herald showed off old bottles, hypodermic needles, other medical aids and a textbook dating back to 1903. She also had something else - a “black bag” - which a doctor always carried with him on home visits back then. “I’ve never seen a doctor carry a bag like this,” she observed to Edith McClees. Behind Herald was a list of the physicians who practiced in Jackson back in the early part of the 20th Century. Names like Dr. Cope, Dr. Hoge, Dr. Sewell, Dr. Swango, Dr. Wilgus Bach and others graced the sign at the exhibit. And as a member of the Museum’s Board of Directors, Herald was gracefully surprised by the turnout. “I’m pleased with the people who are here. This is our first ‘Night’, and it’s a lot of work. But it’s well worth it. What I like is that many people who were here have never been here before.”

That included several people who decided to stop at the Museum first, then go to the Breathitt High Football Scrimmage later that evening. Thanks to the Bobcats playing in the second scrimmage, folks got to take in both events, which several said helped the draw down on Broadway.

Across from Herald’s exhibit was Judy Moore, showing what she thought was a tool box. It turned out the South Jackson woman had an heirloom. “That box was from my Great Uncle, Daniel Moore, who served in World War II. He was in Europe with the Army, and was killed in action back in August 1944. After he died, that box was given to my dad, George Moore. He always used it as a toolbox. In time, I got possession of that box, and two years ago, I discovered it was actually an ammunition box. It had room for shells and hand grenades.” The time-tested ammo box was a popular attraction in the Military section of the Museum. Moore said the crowd last Friday proved a point to her. “A lot of people have more interest in history than I thought. The kids being here is great for history. It passes on treasures to the next generation. You don’t know what history is until you see it for yourself.”

As the night was winding down, Cathy Branson gave her feet a rest. Manning the exhibit featuring the Jackson Academy and Lees Collegiate Institue, the current Librarian on the Lees Campus of HCTC showed off an advertisement from 1925. “This got a lot of attention from people, because it said tuition at the school back then was three dollars a month. Folks liked that. That’s been an eye-opener.”

So was the program she and her friends at the Museum put on for the public last weekend. “We’re thrilled with the number of people coming through the door. We’ve had all age groups tonight, and it certainly promotes the Museum and its offerings. I think there will be more great things for us to come.”