The folks behind the Martinsville-Henry County Heritage Center and Museum are ready to unveil the museum’s new annex expansion.
Officials with the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce have scheduled a 4:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting on Friday to celebrate the completion of the project. Museum officials are also holding a grand opening event, 3 p.m. on Saturday, at the museum courtyard. The 13,000-square-foot annex connects to the building, located at 1 Main St., which was once the Henry County Courthouse.
A skywalk connects the two buildings which, when combined, provide the equivalent of 25,000 square feet of museum exhibit space.
The annex represents the second expansion to the courthouse, which was constructed in 1824. More than a century later, the courthouse’s first expansion was completed in 1929.
The annex will serve as the home for a number of new exhibits, featuring a diverse assortment of historic antiques, ranging from native artifacts to vampire killing kits.
Martinsville residents Dr. Mervyn King and Virginia King provided the bulk of the items in the expanded museum. Museum Director Holly Kozelsky described transporting thousands of dollars worth of artifacts to the annex without security.
“Sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of stuff,” Kozelsky said. “Don’t worry, we now have it under lock and key.”
Kozelsky also talked about getting individual pieces showcase-ready. This entailed meticulously cleaning, dusting and polishing each item.
This includes some of the collection’s more interesting items, like shock therapy equipment.
“This is shock therapy from the mid-1800s when they thought shock therapy could cure anything,” Kozelsky said. “If you had a toothache, put your hands on those bars and let him turn up the juice.”
The Kings also donated the funds for the annex’s construction, which was completed in August. The project, according to Mervyn King, totals around $3.5 million.
The museum has had events working with local schools, something officials hope to expand to group homes and other agencies.
“We have things to look at but there are also lots of things for students to do,” Kozelsky said, later adding that the museum has rental space that residents can use to hold their events. Past events range from organizational presentations to social gatherings.
In past years the Piedmont Regional Criminal Justice Training Academy has used the courtroom for training, according to Kozelsky. Other agencies can use the museum’s facilities such as the conference room area or kitchenette.
Both outdoor event are free. Admission into the museum is $10 or $5 for visitors 2-17 or those 65 and up.
