Owned and operated by the Broadwater County Historical Society, which held its first meeting on August 21, 1970, the society worked for two years toward opening the Broadwater County Museum. Construction began in April 1974 and, though not yet open to the public, the society held its first annual meeting to take place in the completed building a year later. Continuing to expand thereafter, work on a new addition to the museum was completed in 2000. Featured within the new addition are a "
half-scale model of a dugout canoe of the type Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery built on their voyage along the upper Missouri. Also featured are an authentic sheep herders wagon, a horse drawn carriage and a buffalo skin."
The Museum features an extensive historical library,
The Eleanor Marks Library. Included in the library are copies of most of the local newspapers, dating back to the 1800s. The library also has extensive records of obituaries of local residents and the location of their burial, as well as links to comprehensive information on the cemeteries and burial sites in Broadwater County.
Within the museum are a wealth of artefacts relating to the story of the people of Broadwater County, including domestic life, business life, agricultural life and cultural life. Of interest to many who visit the Museum are the
Family History files, which contain histories of many local families, both past and present.
In the
Homemaking section of the museum is a quite complete collection of utensils, containers and appliances which would have been found in the well appointed kitchen of the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, including this Leather Stitching Singer Sewing Machine.
As the accompanying sign says, this Model 29 Cobbler's Sewing Machine was used by Warren Horne to keep his family's shoes in repair. I'm guessing that there were not a lot of folks in Townsend who owned one of these, so Warren likely spent a bit of time doing the same for others of his acquaintance.
This is a Model 29-4 Singer Sewing Machine, made expressly for stitching leather, primarily on shoes. Bearing serial number G689635, the
Singer Sewing Machine Database tells us that it was manufactured on about August 29th, 1910.
The machine is also accompanied by a selection of accessories and utensils that Horne would also have had need of while performing his cobbling chores.
Class 29 - Model 29-4 - For Leather Stitching
In the whole range of leather stitching this is one of the handiest machines ever invented.
It is extensively used all over the world for Boot and Shoe repairing, Furriers' work, Slipper binding, Harness work, etc.
The stitching is performed at the extreme outer end of the arm, which may be inserted into the interior of very small and long apertures like toes of shoes and boot-legs etc.
The machine is unequaled for repairing boots and shoes and will stitch closer to the toe of a boot than any other; it will use waxed and coarse thread, making a tight seam; it also uses a fine needle and thread.
An adjustable wooden table, measuring eighteen by twelve inches, is provided and enables use of the machine as a flat-bed for plain sewing.
From Ismacs.net