Opening of Museum Expansion - Museum of the Middle Appalachians

The Museum of the Middle Appalachians in Saltville celebrated the opening of the Museum Expansion on Saturday, April 5, 2008 at 2:00 p.m.

After many delays and countless hours of preparation, the dream of an expanded exhibit space has finally come true. The building next door was purchased in 2004. The two buildings were connected with two passageways and renovated to include a new exhibit hall, a meeting room and a preparation/work room.

The Design Minds of Alexandria, VA was hired to do the design work. Project Mammoth became a community effort as The Friends of the Museum, local historians and other resource people spent countless hours behind the scenes to research, write and plan the content for the new exhibits. Exhibit fabrication was contracted with Color-Ad of Manassas, VA.

The main exhibit hall was closed to the public for only two weeks. The Saltville Hall and the store remained open to visitors with an exhibit of "Wildlife of the Appalachians".

The new exhibits tell a story that begins with the geology responsible for the presence of salt and gypsum, and moves through Native Americans and early settlement, to present day salt production. A time line, accented by a local core sample, posts significant events of the region as it highlights the walls around each of the exhibit rooms. Many new exhibits have been added and previous exhibits have all been changed in some way. New additions include a sixteen foot painting of a mastodon, a Paleo-Indian throwing an atlatl, a woodland period hut, a tramway bucket, and many photographs and murals. Interactive stations bring the exhibits to life with sounds and dioramas. There is something to appeal to everyone.

Project Mammoth is truly a dream come true.

Call (276) 496-3633 or visit www.museum-mid-app.org for more information.

Photos courtesy of Eleanor W. Jones