Exhibits
The Carnegie Historical Museum features so many unique exhibits and displays.
WE CAN ONLY SHOW YOU A SAMPLE!
LOCAL INDUSTRY | The New Era Rope Maker was one of several similar devices designed and manufactured in Fairfield. Louden Machinery Company was an innovator in the hay and dairy industry. Turney Wagon Works, Harper Brush, Fairfield Glove, and The Dexter Company (who specialized in washing machines) are also representative of the lively entrepreneurial spirit which has long characterized the local business community. Relics from these and other companies tell the story of industrial enterprise in 19th & 20th century Jefferson County.
NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIFACTS | Zuni and Acoma pottery, Pima basketry, and stone implements from the Smithsonian are three of the major collections in the Carnegie Historical Museum. Although some of the displays are currently unavailable for viewing (while we work toward NAGPRA compliance), we do have displays on Indigenous tool-making and small artifacts found in Southeastern Iowa, as well as one containing items from Indigenous peoples of Mexico and Peru.
PARSONS MEMORABILIA | Parsons College is featured prominently in the Carnegie Historical Museum. Artifacts are displayed which span the years from its founding in 1875 to its controversial heyday in the 1960’s. Civil War and personal effects of Civil War General Lewis B. Parsons Sr., son of the college founder, are also featured.
BROWN'S PHARMACY | This display presents an array of pharmaceutical products and packaging ranging from the 1870s to the mid-twentieth century. Earl Brown, a local druggist, donated the items after half a lifetime of frequenting auctions and flea markets in pursuit of a comprehensive collection. The basement of his home, which housed this collection for many years, was equipped with a working soda fountain.
SMITHSONIAN TAXIDERMY | Extensive bird exhibits reflect the late Victorian passion for ornithology. Many specimens came from the Smithsonian in the 1890s, thanks to the influence of Senator James F. Wilson. A display of “Fairfield Birds” presents species observed within three miles of town by Mr. & Mrs. William G. Ross between 1901 and 1904. Their birding diaries were published under the title Bird Notes in 1938.
CIVIL WAR & LINCOLN | Rare labeled photographs of men who served under battle flags preserved at the Iowa State Historical Society and relics from “Auntie” Woods- the Clara Barton of Jefferson County- help illustrate the role played by local citizens. In 2009 the Iowa Lincoln Bicentennial Committee endorsed the Museum’s display of artifacts which link Southeast Iowa to the life and times of Abraham Lincoln.
WORLD WAR II POSTERS | The Lucille Sipes poster collection creates a vivid picture of patriotism on the home front during World War II. Many of these posters bear corner holes left by thumb tacks used to display them in Sipes' Birmingham, Iowa, classroom. Uniforms, medals, and equipment from both World Wars are also on display.
PIONEER TOOLS & FIREARMS | Pioneer relics such as flat irons, coverlets, and spinning wheels are typical of small regional museums. The Carnegie Historical Museum has a unique collection of coverlets by Daniel Stephenson, the only known professional weaver in the pioneer days of Iowa. The Museum also displays a large spinning wheel that belonged to Mary Ann Rutledge. Abraham Lincoln had roomed at the Rutledge Inn and is said to have courted young Ann Rutledge. After Ann and her father died suddenly in 1835, Mrs. Rutledge left New Salem, Illinois and settled on a farm south of Fairfield, near Birmingham.
ROMAN ANTIQUITIES | Marble statuary, Etruscan Bucchero ware, and Roman terra cotta form part of the Byers Collection. Colonel S.H.M. Byers acquired these artifacts while serving as Consul General in Rome from 1884-1885. Byers is best known for writing the lyrics to “Sherman’s March to the Sea” and the “Song of Iowa.” The 1886 Fairfield City Directory mentions these objects in its description of the museum.
