Exhibitions

The Arts and Recreation Room is a look back to the days of ole’ Opry houses and a time when each town had their own boys band. At the turn of the century, Garrett County was bustling with business. Whether it was the railroad, the hotels, or the newly emerging businesses, the County was about to begin a new era of the arts.

Visitors’ fascination with the area’s beauty was matched by their allure of the Mountain Chautauqua or one of the many boys bands. One new and exciting feature to the area was an Opera House in downtown Oakland. The theatre was three stories tall and housed a restaurant on the first floor. The second floor was just for tickets and the box office and the third floor was the actual theatre stage and seating. On a night when a production was showing, there were at least a hundred horse drawn carriages lining the street.

This time of the arts was also marked by a time of desperation as the Great Depression of the 1930s hit Garrett County. President Roosevelt enacted the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to help young boys earn money. The boys were given $1.00 a day for their work as well as given food, shelter, and a chance to finish their high school education. The boys lived in cabins near state forests and parks so they would be close to where they worked.

Another popular form of entertainment in Garrett County were the boys’ bands. Almost every town in Garrett County had a boy’s band where young boys were given the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument and meet new friends. One of the more famous band directors was Henry Mickey of Crellin who directed one of the largest boys bands in the area.

The Victorian Room is an elegant journey back to the early 20th century when glamour and sophistication where found in every aspect of life. At the turn of the 20th century, the country was obsessed with the glamour and sophistication of the Victorian era. Families in Garrett County began to take note of what the rest of the country was doing and followed suite. Opera houses were one of the most popular forms of entertainment, women began dressing in the finest clothing, and it didn’t seem like a Saturday night without 50 carriages lining the street.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Born with a silver spoon in his mouth?” This phrase literally means what it says. During the Victorian era, wealthy families began buying sterling silver spoons for their young children. If you were seen out using a silver spoon, others knew your family was wealthy. Class and sophistication was the look everyone was going for, even the china and glass companies. Some of the most beautiful pieces of china and glassware came from this era and are still in high demand in today’s world.

The Victorian Era was a time of elaborate design. The bed frame and other furniture was the centerpiece of a Victorian bedroom. Quilts from this era were made with elaborate fabrics, such as silk, and included intricate embroidery on almost every square.

A detailed look into the lifestyle of Garrett County residents in the mid-19th century complete with a kitchen and bedroom set. The way of life for most residents of Garrett County in the mid 19th century was very rustic. Almost everyone lived in a 2 or 3 room log cabin they built by hand. There was very little technology and it was not until the B&O came through that people began to work at businesses instead of just farming. It may seem now like it would have been difficult to live that way but it was just the normal way to live at that point in time.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite?” Well this phrase originated in the log cabin era. Most of the beds were made of rope. Several ropes were intertwined into a checkerboard pattern to create a “mattress.” These ropes would have to be tightened up every night before bed so that the ropes were tight enough to sleep on. And the bed bugs? Well, the ropes were just basic twine that was used on the farm. When the ropes were brought inside to make a bed, they sometimes still had bugs in them from being outside. So, it always took a few nights to get the ropes comfortable and bug free.

We all know how nice it is to turn on the sink in our bathroom and wash our face in the morning. Or to run water for a nice, hot bath. When you lived in a log cabin, there was no running water. Most families used a dry sink for all of their washing. They would either walk to a river or use a hand pump to get water in their dry sink, then the whole family would use the water all day to wash in or brush their teeth. And if they wanted to take a bath, the family would have to get several tubs full of water, heat it over a fire, put in the tub, and set the tub over coals to keep the water warm.

Cooking kept the cabin warm. Most families used a wood or coal stove and when the stove was hot, it heated the whole house. Garrett County is notorious for its cold weather and a hot house was always nice to come back to in the winter months. Most families were farmers and grew their own vegetables and had their own meat. One downfall to cooking was that it was often done over a fire in the fireplace. The heat coming off the fire was often unbearable for the cook but everyone else was happy to see food.