Myerstown heritage museum will display local history through artifacts

Volunteers with Myerstown Area Heritage Center and Museum are hard at work cataloging and sorting collected items into exhibits, meant to represent different parts of the area’s history.

Established in 2024 with an expected grand opening date of July 4, 2026, the museum has been in the works since 2021, board members explained. The borough is waiving fees for the room and utilities, and completed renovations on the room to allow for the museum.

“We have to give Myerstown Borough Council credit for providing space for us, at no expense to us, in fact,” said vice president Joel Zinn. “They provided renovations to the room, we don’t even pay any utilities. It’s a real gift.”

Treasurer Doug Bahney explained that funds for the project became available when, due to a PennDOT decision, funds left to the township in a trust by Bahney’s grandmother (to plant flowers at the intersection on U.S. Route 422) needed to be repurposed.

Soon, a small group of dedicated volunteers came together to collect items relevant to Myerstown’s history, largely through word of mouth and donations from locals.

The museum prides itself on hosting exhibits with local roots, rather than general antiques.

“Each community has its own story to tell, and here in Myerstown and Jackson Township, I think we have a unique story to tell,” said board member Brian Beamesderfer. “I mean, we have close to 300 years of folks living in this area.”

Bahney described his excitement when, while researching his family’s furniture business dating back to 1834, he found several of the business’s chairs in possession of a collector in Minnesota.

“Underneath it is penciled, ‘Adam Bahney, Myerstown’,” said Bahney. “I emailed him right back, I said I’m a great-grandson of this fella and I’m involved in a museum in Myerstown; if there’s any way we could acquire them, we would love to.”

The collector was willing to donate the chairs, and soon the museum was in possession of six Civil War-era chairs with stenciled designs.

Other artifacts date back to Myerstown’s history of financial institutions, such as currency printed by Myerstown National Bank.

Between the Federal Reserve Acts of 1863-64 and the retirement of such notes by Franklin Roosevelt’s executive order in 1935, “National Banks” throughout the country issued their own notes, following federal regulations.

Volunteers have also been able to collect a fair amount of memorabilia from local churches, community organizations, and education.

One bookshelf contains a variety of yearbooks from Myerstown High School dating before ELCO School District, as well as other literature relevant to local history.

As the board has collected exhibits, community members have offered assistance identifying people in photos and context for artifacts. These details are then catalogued using a museum logging system.

Many of the museum’s artifacts are on loan from their original owners, especially as the museum first gets its footing.

Though official hours have not yet been established, the board hopes to have the museum open on weekends, with some weekday use permitted by request of members. Board members also hope to establish individual and family memberships.

The board invites those interested in following along with the museum’s progress to join its private Facebook Page or visit its website.