Museum offers view of old Nevada

Just north of actual Main Street and down some stairs is a taste of the businesses that served early 20th Century Gardnerville residents.

The downstairs exhibit at the Carson Valley Museum & Cultural Center has recently seen significant work by volunteers from the Douglas County Historical Society just in time for Nevada Day.

“They’ve been working really hard to get things spruced up and get stuff some tender loving care and attention,” Historical Society President Emeritus Dennis Little said on Monday.

The clothes in the dress shop have been changed out and plans are to rotate them more often, Little said.

“We have an incredible fabric exhibit in terms of clothing, and they’re just boxed,” he said. “And of course that’s against our whole mission which is to share with community.”

The Mercantile exhibit has undergone a transformation.

“Big item converting the mercantile to one that actually represents things that would be sold during the time,” Little said. “Too many people looked in there and said that looks like the booth at the antique store.”

The new exhibit includes everything from cowboy boots to sacks of Leslie Salt on display. 

“The Beauty Shop displays an electric contraption that gave the lady of the day her permanent curls,” volunteer Marlena Hellwinkel said.

Based on Jane Rosenbrock’s actual shop, the building stood across Gilman Avenue from Sharkey’s and its predecessors for decades.

“The original printing press and related office equipment stand ready for that special issue of Carson Valley’s The Record-Courier,” Hellwinkel said.

Little said plans to display bound volume’s from turn of the 20th Century edition of The RC’s are in the works. The newspaper donated its oldest volumes to the historical society.

“Be sure to take a look at the dolls, celebrating Halloween, before they are returned to their official residency in the Courthouse Genoa Museum,” Hellwinkel said.

The Genoa museum is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week, and closes for the season at the end of October.

The Gardnerville museum is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and is located at 1477 Main St.

Admission is $5 for adults, $2 for youth 7-17 and free for children 6 and younger.  For more information call 775-782-2555