The Battle Mountain Cookhouse Museum re-opened Feb. 5 after a two-month winter break.
Not only will the displays be rearranged but two new displays will be set up by the end of March, said Museum Director Lori Price, who is president of the Lander County Historical Society.
The family of Dr. Charles Hyde, who was born in 1904, donated his brown leather jacket and two of his black medical bags with the supplies in them. These will be part of a healthcare display that will also include hospital tools.
A second exhibit will feature Welch's Battle Mountain Dairy, which was open from the early 1930s until 1947. It was located on East Fifth Street and then relocated one mile north of Battle Mountain, Price said. Items to be featured include a milking machine, milk bottles, a cream separator and milk pails.
Sisters Shirley Hardy and Pat Coy donated the tools from the dairy, which was owned by their parents, Adam and Geneva Welch.
There is already one new display containing approximately 16 irons dating back to the early 1900s. Some of them required hot coals and kerosene for heat, Price said.
The kitchen collection may expand with new items such as pots, pans, dishes, utensils and buckets.
Anyone who would like to donate or loan pieces to the museum can call (775) 635-8548. Items must have a historical significance to the Battle Mountain area.
Price said many people worked hard to bring the museum to Battle Mountain and urged everyone to stop by and look around. It is run by volunteers, she added.
"I want people to realize what a valuable asset the Cookhouse Museum is to our community and encourage them to support it in any way possible," she said.
All of the museum fencing is finished and one Walk of Names is slated to be finished in the spring. Anyone who would like to purchase a plank for $50 can call the museum. Landscaping will start in the spring.
The museum is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free with donations accepted.
A title has been chosen for the historical society's Battle Mountain history book, slated to be released in July 2014. The title will be "Al Roads Lead to Battle Mountain," with a subtitle of "A Small Town in the Heart of Nevada, 1869-1969."
Donations to the book include $10,000 from the Lander County Convention and Tourism Authority, $5,000 from Marigold Mine, $5,000 from Newmont Mining, $10,000 from Barrick Gold and $2,000 from Lander County along with a pledge of $8,000.
The book will be on sale at the museum and is being written by Dana Bennett with the historical society serving as the publisher. All proceeds will benefit the museum.
Contact Heather Hill at h.hill@winnemuccapublishing.net.[[In-content Ad]]
