Carnamah Historical Society facts for kids
Quick facts for kids  |
|
| Founded | 1983 |
|---|---|
| Type | Incorporated Association |
| Location | |
| Origins | Carnamah Apex Club and Carnamah Restoration Society |
The Carnamah Historical Society is a group that collects, saves, and shares the history of Carnamah. Carnamah is a town and farming area in the Mid West region of Western Australia.
This society started in 1983. They opened a museum in 1992 and launched their website in 2003. Their amazing work, especially online, has been recognized. Carnamah's history was even featured at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra!
The society is part of important groups like Museums Australia. They were also the first Australian group listed with the Society for One-Place Studies. In 2010, they won an award for being a "dynamic, but very different society." In 2015, they won another award from the Western Australian Heritage Awards. The judges said they used "cutting-edge technology" to share history.
Contents
Carnamah Museum: A Look into the Past
In 1992, the society opened the Carnamah Museum. It's located right in the town. The museum has many different items. You can see old tools, machines, photos, and everyday objects. These items tell the story of Carnamah's social life, homes, businesses, and farming history.
In 2010, the society received a large grant to make the museum bigger. Other groups also helped with money and support. The museum extension opened on September 15, 2012. It includes a special "Window to the Past." This feature uses a huge old photo of Carnamah's main street. It makes it look like you are gazing through a window into the past!
Macpherson Homestead: An Old Stone Home
The society also takes care of the Macpherson Homestead. This old stone house is about one kilometer east of Carnamah. It was built in the late 1860s. After falling into disrepair, it was fixed up with local money and grants. This homestead is now on the State Register of Heritage Places. This means it's a very important historical site. The Heritage Council noted its "high walls and steeply pitched roof." They also said early settlers played a big part in Carnamah's growth.
Carnamah Online: History at Your Fingertips
The Carnamah Historical Society uses the internet to share history with many people. While their museum focuses on Carnamah, their online content covers a wider area. This helps put Carnamah's story into a bigger historical picture.
Website: Your Digital History Hub
The society launched its website in 2003. It helps them reach many of their goals online. The website has lots of information. You can find a huge biographical dictionary, a virtual museum, old photos, and local histories. It even has resources for the Australian Curriculum. The State Library of Western Australia has been saving the society's website since 2004. This ensures it will be available for future generations.
Social Media: Connecting with History
In January 2010, the society started using social media. They joined Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn. They use these platforms to talk with people online about Carnamah's history. They also share news about their museum and website. Because of social media, the society's work was featured in magazines like Inside History and Musing.
The society also started its own blog in May 2011. They write regularly about museum news, website updates, historical stories, and interesting photos. Their blog was named one of the Top 50 Blogs by Inside History magazine in 2012 and 2014. It even helped create a guide for other small historical groups on how to use blogging.
Biographical Dictionary: Stories of People
The society works with the North Midlands Project to create an online Biographical Dictionary of Coorow, Carnamah and Three Springs. This dictionary has information about thousands of people. All these people have a connection to the areas of Coorow, Carnamah, or Three Springs. It's a way to tell the history of the area "one person at a time."
Virtual Museum: Exhibitions Online
In August 2011, the society added a virtual museum to its website. This allows them to share their collection with even more people. It started with three online exhibitions and grew to nine. An image from Carnamah's virtual museum was even on the cover of Inside History magazine in 2013. The society also began creating resources for the Australian Curriculum to go with their virtual exhibitions.
In May 2014, the society's virtual museum won a national award! The judges called it an "innovative solution" with "excellent production values." The next year, the educational resources that went with the museum also received an award. Judges said they were "beautifully designed and comprehensive." In 2015, to remember 100 years since the Gallipoli landings, the society created a new virtual exhibition about World War I.
Virtual Volunteering: Helping from Anywhere
In May 2012, the society started a virtual volunteering program. People could help by indexing electoral rolls online. This work helped build the society's databases. The goal was to get more work done, include more people, and offer new ways to volunteer. In January 2013, the society received a grant to develop this program further. This funding helped them research, test, and share their program with other groups.
The society received an award for Virtual Volunteering in 2015. It was praised as a "great socially inclusive project." It helps both the museum and the volunteers.
Carnamah at the National Museum of Australia
Because of the society's work, Carnamah is now part of a permanent exhibition. This exhibition is called Landmarks: People and Places across Australia. It is at the National Museum of Australia (NMA) in Canberra. A curator at the NMA found the society's website while looking for information on soldier settlement.
One part of the exhibition, called Extending the Farmlands, features Carnamah's World War I soldier settlement. This section includes objects and stories of five soldier settlers and their families. Most of the details came from the society's website. In 2013, the NMA published a book about the exhibition. It's called Landmarks: A History of Australia in 33 Places, and Carnamah is one of those 33 places!
