The Museum in the Middle of Nowhere

 
Right off the I-64, and just outside of Buckskin, a national treasure rests. It's not a monument. It's not a statue. It's not even a fort. It's a museum. But not just any museum either.

 

Henager's Memories & Nostalgia is home to an astonishing array of displays. Dedicated to preserving the history of America, the museums' curator James Henager puts his passion this way "I just wanted to collect things that reflect a great period in American history." Collect he did, and the result is a 3000 sq ft facility where Roy Rogers, Will Rogers, Smoky the Bear, vintage automobiles, the Beatles, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy, comic books, army vet remembrances, toys, movie props and so much more. Recently, he applied for special tax status as a non-profit organization and was granted one. Now, he's onto bigger fish.

 

"I want to honor the vets. They gave up so much to fight for us, and I am looking to exhibit items from WWI, WWII, Vietnam, and Korea. Someday I'd like to establish a permanent multi-million dollar facility. Part of my dream is to recreate a 1940's street scene 200 feet long."

Even though I am writing this from thousands of miles away, the photos enclosed with the pack make me want to run out and wander through. Walls of Roy Rogers, The Lone Ranger, Gene Autry, Smoky the Bear, vintage 1950's Dell comic books, Life magazines, Superman, the Radio room, and of course the automobiles are meticulously displayed and preserved. Books from writers like Fran Striker, Carolyn Keene, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Clarence E Mulford, Victor Appleton, Laura Ingals Wilder, Franklyn Dixon, and modern day film historians Bobby Copeland, Boyd Magers, and Tim Lasiuta can be found there.

Henagers has received national and local recognition. An official regional historic museum, they are working hard to preserve the American heritage. Their most recent exhibit celebrates Abraham Lincoln and his influence upon America.  “Most people don’t know that four towns were named after Mr Lincoln!  We have some amazing items on display until 2010.”

 

 Individuals interested in helping out by donating displays or joining the Dollar Campaign.  Contact Mr Henager at:

Henager's Memories & Nostalgia
8837 South Road 57
Elberfeld, IN
47613

1-812-795-2230

chairman@nationalveteransmemorial.org   

or through their website at http://www.henagermuseum.com/ and http://www.princeton-indiana.com/pages/a...

Support Mr Henager in this museum. Your children will thank you. The past can only disappear if we forget the lessons and heroes that made it great.