June 1 was a big day for many in the Pinckneyville area. This was the grand opening and open house of the Illinois Rural Heritage Museum that so many had worked so hard to create.

The museum is dedicated to educating the public and preserving the rural heritage of Illinois. Following the open house, on June 2 was the fourth annual Tractor Drive and fundraising banquet that featured farm broadcaster Max Armstrong.

The 2011 Miss Perry County Fair Queen Karen Nehrkorn attended the open house. Karen is also the past president of her FFA chapter, and said, “I will be a sophomore at Rend Lake and will be a 2018 graduate. I plan to further my education and go into ag communications.”

She has been involved with the tractor ride over the last few years and assisted this past August when the Foundation for Pinckneyville held the museum ribbon-cutting. This young woman is well-versed in the farming community because of her own background near Dubois, Ill., growing up in a small grain and large hog operation.

The open house was well attended and the first thing visitors to the museum noticed as they approached was the 40-foot windmill towering over it. The barn complex houses the museum office, memorabilia store and horse-related artifact exhibits.

Next is the teaching center, which includes a second video viewing area, a guide to current exhibits and a gallery of smaller exhibits. For example, the gallery displays a copy of the USDA’s History of American Agriculture from 1776-1990 and two of the U.S. Geologic Survey’s early 1990s Geologic Atlas related to Illinois coal resources.

Moving into hall, visitors learned about agricultural technology and the chronological advances in agriculture over the decades in the Monsanto Exploration display. Along with the display, there is also on loan one of the early gene guns used to modify the genetic traits of those crops.

The museum includes a learning center. “We are reaching out to educators to get them to invest and to design exhibits,” said Irl Englehardt, chair of the museum board. “We want to use the museum as a technical center.”

Historic settings include the important role the doctor played to advance the quality of life in rural Illinois. Physicians were frequently the most educated members of the early communities, and they held important leadership roles in government and other areas.

A blacksmith shop and early equipment also are highlights of the museum, including some amazing machinery such as the Keck Gonnerman threshing machine and the Gundlach horse-drawn drill that was manufactured in Belleville, Ill., by PM Gundlach & Sons. The drill was used on the Gundlach farm located just south of Red Bud during the early 1900s.

Tractors on-site included a 1948 Case VAO, a 1936 F20 and a 1926 McCormick 10-20, a 1912 80-hp Case, a 1920 Sampson made by General Motors, a 1920 Fordson and a 1950 JD. One of the centerpieces of the antique equipment display is the 1912 80-hp steam engine tractor, on loan from Maschoff Farms of Carlyle.

The museum site was purchased by the Foundation for Pinckneyville in January 2008. The next big assist in funding was in 2010 when the foundation received a $355,000 grant from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for the initiative.

“Phase I of the museum opened with a ribbon cutting in August,” shared Museum President Charlie Greer.

He explained how the new building came about: “Morton Building donated enough money to purchase and do the inside of the building. The Irl Englehardt family fund continued the inside.” Charlie acknowledged the assistance of Marty Vance, a salesman for Morton, for his help.

The museum is set on four acres and eventually the grounds will include a farmhouse, repair shop, schoolhouse and equipment and machinery repairs. The museum is open Thursday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1-5 p.m. It is also open for tours by appointment; groups are welcome.

The museum is located at 187 Fairground Road, Pinckneyville 62274. Call 618-521-2245 or 618-571-1854 or check out the website at http://illinois ruralheritagemuseum.org for details.

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.