Museum Contest Marks County’s 170th Birthday
What struck me immediately about the Young County Museum of History and Culture is how modern it feels modern in the way it understands the world we live in. Museums now compete with social media, YouTube, streaming video and everything else that lives on a screen. This museum clearly knows that and has made a real effort to meet people where they are.
That feels especially appropriate as Young County marks its 170th anniversary. This is a place built by people who adapted — from frontier settlers to ranchers, oilmen and miners — and the museum reflects that same mindset.
You don’t just walk past artifacts here. You engage with them. Alongside the technology and interactive displays, there are physical reminders of the county’s past: real stagecoaches, weapons tied to famous raids, and deeply personal artifacts, including a medallion worn by a well-known Native American figure. These are the real things, and they carry weight.
The closest comparison I can make is Fort Belknap, and the work done there by curator Jim Hammond. For decades, Fort Belknap barely changed. Then Mr. Hammond transformed it into something immersive, meticulous and alive. You see that same philosophy at work in Graham.
In fact, the two places pair perfectly. A visit to the Young County Museum followed by a trip to Fort Belknap makes for a full day — or weekend — of history done right. You get context in Graham and the landscape at the fort.
One of the most impressive elements in the museum is the Newcastle coal mining exhibit.
It’s the first time I’ve ever seen that history represented with a hologram miner — a detail that instantly draws you in. Just as important is the accuracy. The coal seams are shown the way they actually looked underground, not simplified or stylized. That kind of care matters if you know the history, and it teaches something real if you don’t.
Having museum president Tony Widner guide the tour was a big plus. Mr. Widner knows Young County history inside and out, and having someone like that walk you through the exhibits adds depth you simply can’t get from labels on a wall.
There’s a well-stocked library dedicated to Young County history — the kind of place where you can sit down, slow down, and really dig into the past. The museum expands its reach online with a YouTube channel featuring oral histories from members of families who helped found and shape Young County.
To get people out into the county, off their screens and face-to-face with local history, the museum has placed 19 banners featuring prominent Young County residents around the county - including at the Olney Heritage Museum and at the Olney Community Library & Arts Center. A list of the other locations is available on the Museum’s Facebook page, or see at the Olney Heritage Museum desk..
The challenge is simple: visit each location and take a photo with every banner. The first three people to come to the museum at 609 Fourth St. in Graham and identify all 19 displays win a free one-year membership to the museum. The first 10 winners will be recognized in the Museum’s newsletter and social media posts. The contest deadline is March 7.
The contest makes the point that history is not as something frozen in time, but something still woven into daily life.