Museums began as cabinets of curiosities which simply displayed interesting items and artifacts. Over time, labels were added to the items and artifacts and then they were grouped to tell a story. For many small museums, one of the ways of telling the story of the community’s history and heritage is to group items into realistic rooms. The Heritage Museum in Libby, Montana has a number of rooms designed to help illustrate and tell the community’s story. Photographs of some of these rooms follow.
Roy Porter’s Studio:
Roy Porter (1902-1971) was one of the finest western artists in the Northwest. He was a long-time Libby resident.
School Room:
Most small museums include a display of early classrooms and the Heritage Museum is not an exception.
Bed Room:
The upper bedroom is shown above.
Living Room:
Kitchen:
Print Shop and Newspaper:
Forest Service: