This year marks the 175th birthday of Oswego’s iconic Little White School Museum. To celebrate, a new exhibit capturing the historic building’s many lives and changes it has experienced since it was completed in 1850.
To kick off the year-long birthday recognition, a new exhibit, “Restoring the Little White School Museum: 175 Years of Community,” opens to the public in the museum’s Roger Matile Room on Thursday, Feb. 6. Admission is free. The museum is at 72 Polk Street (Jackson at Polk Street), just two blocks east of Oswego’s historic downtown business district.
The exhibit explores the building’s journey to becoming the Little White School Museum, from its earliest days as a Methodist-Episcopal Church, to its half-century as a beloved school building, to the 25-year restoration project by hundreds of community volunteers, local business donations, and financial support from the Oswegoland Park District, all coordinated by the non-profit Oswegoland Heritage Association.
Documents, artifacts, and stories from all different phases of the building’s long, eventful life are used in the exhibit tell the building’s fascinating life story. The exhibit was designed and mounted by museum coordinator Joe Noce assisted by museum assistant Emily Dutton
Regular museum hours are Thursdays and Fridays, 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and Mondays, 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.. While admission is free, donations are always gratefully accepted to help maintain the museum’s priceless collections of historic artifacts, documents, and photographs directly related to the Oswego area. The museum is a joint project of the non-profit Oswegoland Heritage Association and the Oswegoland Park District.
For more information, call 630-554-2999, email info@littlewhiteschoolmuseum.org, or visit their web page at www.littlewhiteschoolmuseum.org.
—Little White School Museum