Franklin County Museum

category : Museums

The Franklin County Museum, bursting with history, is operated by the Franklin County Historical Society. It occupies two large buildings with a spacious parking lot.

The eight county towns, Hildreth, Upland, Campbell, Macon, Naponee, Bloomington, Riverton, and Franklin each have a booth in which to display their special interests.

The Museum is proud of its genealogy library, pioneer heritage of the county, its chapel with an exquisite communion cabinet

and desk, and its unusually large collection of 2000 sets of salt and pepper shakers. It also offers a room to honor the county's veterans. The large "OL TOWNE" simulates an early town's Main Street, and a completely furnished one-room school house. The Museum has published a book entitled "Those Good Old Golden Rural Days" on the rural education system.

The museum has a very nice collection of items from the western movie badman, Pierce Lyden. Calling Franklin County his home, Pierce was THE stereotyped "badguy" in over 350 movies with his black hat and mustache appearing alongside stars like Tom Mix, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers. This is a must for old western movie buffs. Communion Cabinet

Don't forget to take in the gun display, with guns from the late 1800s and early 1900s, and dresses worn in England in 1869. The newest and just completed attraction to the museum is the "ROCK COLLECTION."

Preserved in the meeting room of the main building are academy records and photos from 1881 - 1922, from the Franklin Academy.

Veteran's Room

Admission: Free Admission - Donations Appreciated
Hours: Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday, 2:00 to 4:00 pm
Tours arranged by appointment.
Address: One block east of Hwy. 136 and North Hwy. 10
Phone: 308-425-3030