As you enter the granite room, formerly the baggage room of the Depot, you can see the large wooden doors on the right and left that were used to load and unload baggage. There are several research items such as business and/or county records from the late 1800s and early 1900s, along with several other books and scrapbooks in and on top of two glass front bookcases. Above the bookcases and hanging from the ceiling, you will find a collection of farm tools. Below is a stone from Marble Creek and other tools given by Rev. Ed St. Clair.
The porch column came from the Emerson house/mansion as seen in the picture. The beautiful home once stood near the present location of the Catholic Church, the area being known locally as the Ste. Marie Du Lac. The property is the home of a statue erected to commemorate the location where General Ulysses S. Grant received his commission as Brigadier General. The location is nearly as well known for its ducks! It is unusual to find a pond and ducks on the main street of a town!
The old safe is from the original Iron County Bank. Note the bank ad above and the bank officers listed from 1896. The old safe is from the original Iron County Bank.
The four large matching display cases on the right contain various items pertaining to Iron County and its people. The first has military displays on the top three shelves and the bottom holds the Beardsley Collection and Barger Collection. The second display case includes a collection of local medical and funeral home exhibits and many local business items.
The mailboxes between the second and third cases are from the Annapolis Post Office and were donated by Clarence Keathley. The third case houses Lester Keathley’s collection of rocks and minerals collected from the Iron County area. Other mining collections are found on the bottom shelves. The fourth case holds individual collections of several people. The next display is an extensive collection of international dolls donated by Mrs. Charles Ottman.
Much of the clothing on and near the clothes rack was donated by the Ringo family and the Baptist Home. The sewing machine was donated by the Virginia Frenzel family. The bed with the ornately carved walnut headboard was donated by Lucille and Fredonia Ringo upon their deaths. The navy and white coverlet was made in 1861 by Margaret Key and donated by Adrian Buckey’s daughter as was some of the clothing. The chaise in the center of the room was used in the office of one of the Judges in the Courthouse years ago.
The bookcase to the left of the bed holds numerous old books and other items belonging to the Ringo sisters. Next is a display case with a dish collection, old toys, games, and other personal effects from the Ringo collection. There are also large old pictures on the bottom. On the left of the bed is a wedding dress donated by the Edgar family. The black dress was worn to a Missouri Governor’s Ball.
The Ben Franklin stove also came from the Ringo family along with most of the items displayed on it. Two wedding dresses flank the stove. The next large display case is our newest display: It is a collection of a locally famous musician, Johnny Rion. This case displays the guitar that he used for 58 years along with a portrait of him. There is also a book of his life and 13 CDs that he and his family created.
The tall, narrow display cabinet next was donated by the Adrian Buckey family. Next is a player piano donated by the
Baldwin family. Also, an old Victor Gramophone on top of the piano donated to the Society by
Mr. and Mrs. Rollings formerly of Arcadia. Next to the piano is a flapper era wedding dress with long train worn by Laura Louise
Price Gay. She was the sister of Vincent
Price, the well-known movie
star. Next is a uniform which belonged to
Floyd E. Higdon. The post office window and boxes you see next is from the Middlebrook Post Office.
Nadine Duree, the postmistress for many years there, donated the boxes. On the floor in front of the mailboxes are household items used in the past. The old chair there was found in an old house at Killarney Shores Subdivision.
In the center of the floor is a display case with items from the Arcadia Academy. On either end are trunks, one of which holds vintage clothing. At the other end is a collection from the Buckey family. To the back of the display case is a table which holds the cash register donated from the Duree family store and post office and various scrapbooks of vintage postcards, pictures, etc. On the walls all the way around the room can be found more local pictures gathered by Lucille and Fredonia Ringo.
