Simpson County Historic Center Expansion

FRANKLIN, Ky. (WBKO) — Following their appearance on the Discovery Plus show “Alien Endgame,” the Simpson County Historical Society hopes to expand and feature more county and area exhibits.

Beginning in a small room in the old jail, the museum has grown since its inception in the 1980s. It was a place where old circuit court and county court documents could be found, tax records, marriage records, wills and deeds. Another thing that is kept at the facility are extensive family history records and genealogy collections for Simpson, Allen, Logan, and Warren counties as well as Robertson and Sumner counties in Tennessee. Numerous old scrapbooks, collections, family Bibles, assorted manuscripts, census records, funeral director’s records, local newspapers on microfilm, maps, picture file, obituary file, local history file and memorabilia, as well as a extensive genealogical library are available.

Eventually, they were able to expand across the street into the building that was once the city’s first Ford dealership, allowing them to have more exhibits about Franklin and Simpson County.

In fact, most of the items on display in the museum’s exhibits have been donated over the years by citizens of Franklin and Simpson County. Each artifact came from the families and businesses that originally owned them, making the museum even more special for locals. The dentist’s chair that older residents sat in as children is in one corner of the main museum. Grandparents bringing their grandchildren and being able to tell personal stories about each object on display, allows a connection to history that cannot be found in large metropolitan museums. Yearbooks, school photos, farm equipment, long-discontinued technology, etc. It is on display in one of the museum buildings on College Street in Franklin.

Dr. James Henry Snider seeks to broaden the scope of exhibits to include local industry and agriculture. He hopes to display remnants of past industry alongside items currently made in Simpson County.

If you would like to contribute to the museum in any way, please contact the Simpson County Historical Society or by phone at 270-586-4229.

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