"This gem of a museum is like a miniature Smithsonian, NY Metropolitan, and Williamsburg all rolled into one." This was the comment of a recent well-traveled out-of-state visitor who was amazed at the scope and quality of the museum's holdings. Comprised of 8 buildings on a compact site, the museum is a unique repository of Wayne County and Richmond history from early pioneer life through the industrial revolution into modern times. Exhibits include period clothing, furniture, portraiture, two log cabins of local origin, a vintage Conestoga wagon, a blacksmith shop, print shop, bakery, loom house, a superb collection of early Richmond made automobiles, steam powered tractors, the first Davis airplane manufactured in Richmond in 1929, and more about Richmond's rich industrial heritage. There is a choice collection of Native American artifacts including both modern and ancient pottery of Hopi, Zuni, Pueblo, and Anasazi origins. The most populat exhibit is the recently updated gallery telling the storoy of Life and Death in Ancient Egypt. A 3000-year old mummy is on display with a beautifully preserved and exquisitely painted coffin. Surrounding the mummy are 12 display cases filled with objects that were used in everyday life but also preserved in tombs for their owner to use in the afterlife.

We were founded in 1930 by Julia Meek Gaar and we've been in the same location for 83 years. The building was originally the "Hicksite Quaker Meeting House".