MARSHALL—As the Lyon County Fair approaches, the Lyon County Historical Society Museum is preparing the historic schoolhouse exhibit with a fresh look and new features in the works.
“We finished painting the exterior of the schoolhouse red just this last week,” said Museum Executive Director Jennifer Andries. “We have the windows and the trim to finish. They are primed and we just need to paint them. But the schoolhouse looks great. It really needed a new, fresh coat of paint. The red looks really nice.”
Along with the painting, the area around the schoolhouse is also getting spruced up in time for fairgoers. A new interpretive walking tour sign is in development, thanks in part to a local Eagle Scout project.
“One of our board members, her son is pursuing his Eagle Scout award, and they are going to be working on getting some concrete poured by the schoolhouse so we can put a walking tour sign there,” Andries said. “The sign will have history on the schoolhouse and on rural schools of Lyon County. It likely won’t be ready by fair time, but it’s in the works and I’m hoping it will be ready this fall.”
The schoolhouse is typically open only during the fair or special events, but Andries said the new sign will help visitors learn more about the building year-round. “We know people bike out there, they walk out there, or there are other events happening out there. It’d be nice to have a walking tour sign that people can check out and get more information on the history of the building.”
The Lyon County Historical Society Museum is located in downtown Marshall, across from the post office in the former library building. It is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. For more information, visit lyoncomuseum.org or call 507-537-6580.
Andries also noted that once the fair wraps up, the museum will shift focus to fall and holiday programs, including the Arts and Living History Festival and the popular Christmas Tree Walks. “It’ll be a busy time coming up for us,” she said. “Definitely more to update and share next month.”
