Sharing Memories
(Talk of the Town photo by Jennifer Zartman Romano) Whitley County Agricultural History museum volunteer Bill Klenke, above, was putting the finishing touches on a display at the museum on Saturday, demonstrating how to use what was once an important item in his family when he was growing up. Now part of the museum's display on early laundry machines, Klenke's family's washing machine, circa 1910, was clearly not new when he remembers using it as a child. He said it was his duty as a young boy to pull the crank for ten minutes to agitate the laundry inside the drum. He added that when he turned 10, his laundry days were over and he moved on to help his father drive the tractors on the farm.
Klenke and others will be sharing their memories of life on the farm in the early days today and Friday when fifth grade students from local schools visit the museum for tours. The museum hosted a special open house Wednesday afternoon for local educators, hoping to show them the many interesting displays constructed inside the growing museum.