Have you been in to see this marvellous little gem of a place at 50 Main Street yet? It’s opposite the Post Office, up the driveway behind the amphitheatre. Yes, the red brick building on the left of the car park! It houses a huge array of early pioneer artefacts and memorabilia from Lobethal and surrounds.
The displays include:
- History of the Cricket bat factory which was situated on the Lobethal Bakery car park site
- Aboriginal artefacts from the Peramangk aboriginal families who moved through the Western Branch area near Goldings Winery
- Rare artworks made from fish scales, human hair and even feathers!
- Engraved crystal writing desk set presented to “Fritz” Eisenberg, the Lobethal guy that invented fritz. He lived in the house at the RH corner of David Street and Main Road
- Household and kitchen wares that make our modern appliances look positively luxurious!
- Music cylinder rolls and player, a pump-style organ, plus sheet music & books
- Information on the life of Clara Serena Kleinschmidt, Lobethal’s world famous opera singer of the 1930’s, and recordings of her music. Her family lived in the Main Street
- Wooden and iron hand tools for making farm life easier in the new colony
- Huge library of antique books and photographs to peruse at leisure.
We also have an extensive collection of records for those wishing to delve into the history of pioneering families to the area.
Of course there’s the little 1845 Lutheran Seminary cottage in its original state, taking pride of place under the main roof of the Archives building. We have much early Christian literature, including a set of books dating back to the 1500’s!
And there is still so much more to capture your attention and pique your interest!
Sadly, the Museum is only open by appointment, (contact Dianne: 0439 822 685) for a small donation, but we would love to open it on a regular basis at weekends for the general public if we can attract more people to help us.
The Museum is managed by a very small group of volunteers, who are enthusiastic and passionate about caring for Lobethal’s history. We have some exciting new ideas in the pipeline, and grants for maintenance to apply for. We would LOVE to welcome anyone to join our group who shares this passion!
See here for more information.
Here’s how you may like to participate:
- Our AGM is coming up on Sunday afternoon, 12th September at 2pm in the basement area of the Lutheran Church. You are most welcome to come along and find out what we do. Or just come along to say hi! We would appreciate your encouragement, comments, and fresh new suggestions.
- We are revising our Membership List again, and for just $20 / person or $30 / couple per year, you become voting members at meetings, and will be kept informed of happenings at the Museum via newsletters.
Please fill in the form below and post to Box 156, Lobethal 5241 OR email your details as below, to bobandsuemiller@gmail.com if paying electronically.