Hey y’all,
On a recent episode of Monroe Today, my friend Gilda Stanbery welcomed Nolen Howard and
Ralph Bass from the Monroe County Historical Society. The society is celebratin’ its Golden
Jubilee and has recently undertaken a complete revitalization of its exhibits! If you missed the
episode, I’ve got some highlights for you so grab yourself somethin’ to snack on and sit yourself
down for a while.
History of the Monroe County Historical Society
Mr. Nolen is the President, and Mr. Ralph is the Vice President, so they work hand-in-hand at
the Monroe County Historical Society together. Before we get into the excitin’ new exhibits that
they’ve been workin’ on since last October, let me share some history for the folks who want a
refresher. The railroad industry was big in Forsyth and started comin’ to the city in 1838 with a
line from Macon to Forsyth. By 1858, the Macon and Western Railroad had built the stone depot
for passengers and freight. The second depot is a brick Victorian style constructed in 1899
about a hundred yards away.
Mr. Nolen told us that the idea of the society started back in the 1970s because the depots were
no longer being used by the railroad. In fact the stone depot was in danger of being torn down
but Mr. Jack Fletcher stepped in front of the wrecking ball. A group from the Forsyth Women’s
Club took over runnin’ the brick depot and were looking for another group to help. So in 1975,
the Monroe County Historical Society came into existence, and they secured a lease on the
depots. The brick depot is home to the museum’s exhibits, and the baggage building, which is
next door, now houses the archives.
A Revitalization of Current Exhibits
Now that y’all have a bit more of an understanding of how the Monroe County Historical Society
came to be, there’s so much to explore with the ongoing efforts by Mr. Nolen, Mr. Ralph and
their team of volunteers. They knew they wanted to do somethin’ special, especially for the
Golden Jubilee, and the team invited an expert museum exhibits curator by the name of Ms.
Cindy Bowden from Pine Mountain to evaluate the collection. As Mr. Ralph shared, she has
over 40 years of experience revamping exhibits and breathing new life into them. She drew up a
proposal for the MCHS board and once it got approval, she was hired, and the project was
underway! Two other core members of Ms. Cindy’s team were Ms. Kaila Jones and Ms. Linda
Hallman who were pivotal in helping make sure volunteers were trained and that things got
done.
There was also a group of 30+ local volunteers who worked hard to clean existing exhibit items
to ensure they would be ready for their new homes. Besides their team of volunteers and staff,
Mr. Nolen shared that they had a lot of help through the Forsyth CVB, on grants and connecting
with local organizations. A few of those organizations include Citizens of Georgia Power, who turned the orange caboose red again, the Central GA Railroad Society, Central GA EMC,
Southern Rivers EMC, and Norfolk Southern Railway. Talk about how it takes a village to get
somethin’ done! The efforts by the local community show just how much the residents care
about preserving the history of Forsyth and Monroe County.
New and Exciting Exhibits
which includes her maternal grandmother, Clara Newton, as part of the WWII exhibit.
After the fun part of building the exhibits and putting the displays together, Mr. Nolen and Mr.
Ralph took my friend Ms. Gilda on a little tour! Now, I don’t want to share too much so that y’all
can still be surprised when you visit. I will share, however, that there are so many interestin’
exhibits that immerse visitors in history. They have everythin’ from an example of a typical
1920s kitchen, to medical equipment, to inventions, to agriculture, and even local Native
American history. They also have a dedicated railroad room to pay homage to just how
important the industry was to Forsyth. Here, you will find an old railroad safe, telegraph
equipment, handwritten schedules and even a scale that was used to weigh baggage. It’s also a
great place to view a passing train!
In their changing exhibits room, new displays rotate out a couple of times a year, which keeps
things fresh and interestin’. The current exhibit focuses on Monroe County during WWII to show
how it affected everyone. Mr. Nolen shared that the display includes examples of the
government programs for rationing and recycling and a book of ration stamps. People were
issued these stamps for everything from sugar, to gas, to stockings. I don’t know about y’all but
that’s a unique piece of our history, shared.
Now that I’ve talked all y’all ears off, I hope that somethin’ you take away from this is that the
Monroe County Historical Society has made many new changes to be proud of and for you to
check out. What makes it even more special is the tireless efforts of the community to preserve
and refresh the exhibits. Whether you’re a history buff like me or love a fun low key excursion,
come out to the Monroe County History Museum and spend the afternoon learnin’ something
new!
‘Til Next Time,
Your Storyteller
