200 Years of Knox County Heritage, Under One Roof

How the Museum Began

After the original display in an unused building on the fairgrounds in 1984, it became apparent that a permanent building was needed to house the objects people wanted to donate or loan to the museum. A 40-by-100-foot building was erected in 1986, and it soon filled.

In 1990 an expansion was planned with a generous contribution from the Mount Vernon Community Trust, funding a 40-by-80-foot addition. With funds on hand and a bequest from the estate of Wilbur Earlywine, a two-story, 5,000-square-foot addition followed in 1997. The most recent two-story, 56-by-50-foot wing was completed before the 2008 fair, made possible through the Community Foundation of Mount Vernon and Knox County, the Knox County Board of Commissioners, Small's Ready-Mixed Concrete and Gravel, the Knox County Dairy Service Unit, Ariel Corporation, and many others.

What We Preserve

Most of our collection has been donated by local residents and farmers; some items have been in their families for generations. Holdings include vintage tractors, wood-working and butchering tools, hay-making equipment, hand-crank corn shellers, household items, a 1923 Model T school bus, a Conestoga wagon, a horse-drawn hearse, a 1924 J.I. Case threshing machine, cream separators and butter churns, blacksmith tools, a stone gristmill, and thousands of other items.

About one-third of the upper floor of the 1997 addition houses the Loom Room: eight workable looms operated by museum members who weave table placemats, throw rugs, runners and other items. Several outbuildings adjoin the main museum: a log house, a one-room schoolhouse, a smokehouse, a springhouse, the Hiawatha Building, and an outhouse.

How the Museum Is Run

A volunteer committee meets five times a year to make all decisions regarding the operation of the museum. The museum handles its own funds, bank accounts and management decisions. All museum funds are audited annually and a report made to the fair board.

The museum is located on the Knox County Fairgrounds, which is under the jurisdiction of the county commissioners. As a formal organized committee of the fair board, the museum is relieved of responsibility for taxes, insurance, utilities, snow removal, lawn mowing and security, while still running its own day-to-day operations.

Accessibility

All areas of the museum are accessible to wheelchairs and persons with varying degrees of mobility impairments. Access to a private restroom can be arranged by special request of any volunteer on duty.