This idea is echoed in its logo: a fan-style window with arrows pointing out beyond its frames. The museum is intended to be a launching point from which people go out into the county with the desire to learn more about what they’ve seen. It showcases present day businesses and opportunities within the county with the hope of starting conversations among visitors about future possibilities that Newberry might hold for them. The items within pertain to not only what Newberry once had, but also to what it currently offers. Each artifact, starting with the building itself, tells the story of Newberry County and the industries of the past and present. The grand high ceiling, wood floors, and distinct fan-style windows immediately indicate that habitués are in for a literal and figurative walk through history.īut unlike many other museums, this gallery serves to impact the future as well as tell the stories of the past. One of the goals of the restoration was to save as much of the original building as possible, thus making the building itself an artifact in Newberry’s history. A mezzanine just two inches shy of the maximum square footage permitted was constructed thanks to an additional $180,000 raised by citizens of Newberry. The original chandelier from the Newberry Opera House was installed in the foyer. Under the carpets, terrazzo, marble and original hardwood flooring were unveiled. The tile, drop ceiling was stripped away. Thanks to the citizens of Newberry County who voted to keep the capital project sales tax, the museum was then chosen as a bonded project, and 2.2 million dollars was allocated for its immediate restoration. A hundred years later in 2013, the building was designated as The Newberry Museum. Originally a post office, it later became the Newberry Saluda Regional Library at which time a drop ceiling and carpeting were installed, most likely to ensure a quiet space. Located at 1300 Friend Street, the building was erected in 1911 and completed in 1913. Nowhere else can anyone appreciate that statement as it pertains to Newberry County, than at the newly opened Newberry Museum. Author Rachel Carson once said, “to understand the living present and the promise of the future, it is necessary to remember the past.” She was speaking of the global environment, but the same could be said of any of its subsectors.
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