The Rockmart museum is filled with historic treasures from the past.
The Rockmart Museum, located at 133 South Marble Street, is filled with treasures from the past that highlight the life and times of the area.
The facility showcases historic relics and reminders of another era that can be seen from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. On Saturday, it is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“We hope visitors will experience Rockmart through the decades,” Pat Sampson, volunteer director, said. “You can step back in time by viewing our displays that feature Rockmart High School, local businesses, the medical profession, Goodyear Mill, the 1926 trail wreck and more.”
Cornelia Jackson recently donated a photo of PFC Paul E. Wilson, who served in the U.S Army from 1941 through 1945 as a World War II radio operator. It has been placed near a military display that includes an Army phone.
Other new additions are books donated by Sam Jones, which were published from 1875 through 1921. Nearby, a display of baby shoes is believed to be more than 100 years old. These were donated by Bobbie Lumpkin and preserved by her mother, Ruth Starr.
“We need a shadow box enclosed with glass to place such delicate vintage items,” Sampson said. “Hopefully, a talented donor will make this wish a reality.”
Michael Turner, retired engineer, and Brenda Carroll, volunteer, have been busy with an addition to the display featuring telephones. The phone insulators have been mounted near the space where Southern Bell devices and others reveal the history of this form of communication in the past.
Tucked away in one of the rooms is a cabinet filled with delicate pieces of china and a handwritten note from W. T. Harris to Margaret Porter asking permission to visit her. The note is dated July 21, 1900.
Currently, volunteers are involved in plans for participation in Homespun activities. They are finding ways to feature “home style” events from the late 1800s to early 1900s.
Sampson said plans are to add to new displays that showcase history of African Americans and Native Americans from the Rockmart area.
The Rockmart Museum opened on March 24, 2011 in the building it now shares with the Polk County Chamber of Commerce.
Cathy Holtzclaw is credited with initially stimulating local interest in the preservation of Rockmart’s history.
On April 13, 2003, she first displayed a notice written on poster board in the former Municipal Building on Marble Street. On it, she wrote the names of people from Rockmart that had been sent to Iraq and placed a yellow ribbon for those serving, black for the missing in action and red for the fallen that had spilled their blood on foreign soil.
Thereafter, people brought her photos of servicemen and women who had served in other wars. She talked with anyone that showed interest and asked them to bring pictures of other family members.
“If I borrowed a photo to make a copy,” she said, “I was always very careful to protect and return it to the owner.”
As her interest grew, she noticed a picture in The Rockmart Journal. It was taken with the camera focused on North Marble Street from the downtown area and featured a streetlight and snow.
“I clipped that photo and displayed it near my desk,” Cathy said.
Soon she discovered another photograph of a group of people working to raise funds for the park. There was a parade with women wearing long dresses and hats.
“That got my attention!” she said.
Cathy wanted to preserve the heritage of the people of Rockmart so that it would not be lost or forgotten. Many of the things being torn down bothered her until she realized she could not chain herself to buildings.
She did get photos of things that are no longer visible, including the Rockmart-Aragon Hospital.
Later, Cathy got her camera and walked the streets and made photos of all the existing buildings in the downtown area. Some of these have since been removed.
“For me,” she said, “the greatest reward is knowing that people will share their heritage and personal stories with not only this but future generations.”
For more information about the museum, email rockmartmuseum@yahoo. com.