History House Museum facts for kids
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History House Museum in the former Grey County Council Chambers
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| Established | 1996 |
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| Location | 27 Gresson Street, Greymouth, New Zealand |
The History House Museum is a special place that keeps old photos, records, and items from the Grey District in New Zealand. This area is on the West Coast of the South Island. The museum helps us learn about the past of this interesting region.
It first opened in 1996 inside an old building. This building used to be where the Grey County Council met. Sadly, in 2017, the building was found to be unsafe in an earthquake. Because of this, the museum had to close its doors. Now, everyone is looking for a new, safe home for all the amazing historical treasures.
Contents
The Museum's Story
The History House Museum was located at 27 Gresson Street in Greymouth. The building was once the meeting place for the Grey County Council. This council was formed way back in 1877. They built their special chambers in 1924.
In 1989, the council moved out. This happened when the Grey County Council joined with other local groups. They all became the Grey District Council. The building was then empty for a while.
How the Museum Started
A former deputy mayor named Kevin Brown had a great idea. He wanted to turn the empty building into a history museum. He worked with the mayor, Ron Hibbs, and Kevin Beams from the council.
Kevin Brown asked volunteers from the Lions and local families for help. They worked hard to get the building ready. They also started gathering historical items. The museum officially opened its doors in 1996. Kevin Brown was its first manager.
When Kevin Brown became mayor in 1998, other volunteers took over. Bob Naisbitt and Margaret Mort helped run the museum. Later, Margaret Mort and Karen Prendergast continued the work.
Moving and Changes
In 2017, experts checked the old council building. They found it was not strong enough for earthquakes. It was much weaker than new safety rules required. Fixing the building would cost a lot of money. Also, it was in an area that could flood.
So, the museum had to close. Its important historical records were moved to the Grey District Library for safekeeping. People discussed different ideas for the museum's future. Some thought about making it part of a "Discovery Centre." Others wondered if the collection should be split up.
One idea was to move the museum to a new spot. This new place would be at 130 Mackay Street. It would also share space with a visitor information centre.
The museum's old location was not easy for tourists to find. It was far from the train station where most visitors arrived. There were also not enough signs. This meant not many people visited, only about 6 to 8 visitors each day.
Before moving, all the items in the collection needed to be properly listed. This process is called cataloging. It costs a lot of money to do this important work. Some items that belonged to other West Coast areas were sent to other museums. These included the Hokitika Museum and Coaltown Museum.
A New Chapter
The museum then opened a temporary "pop-up" space. This was in the former Dick Smith store. It was open from Wednesday to Sunday afternoons starting in December 2017. Even though it was temporary, it was very popular! In its first month, 1200 people visited. In total, 9000 people visited before it closed in July 2018. This was a big jump from the 1200 visitors a year at its old home.
In 2018, the council decided to put money aside to make the old Gresson Street building stronger. However, they also planned to move the museum to a new "discovery centre" in the future. This new centre would combine the library and museum.
Making the old building safe would still cost a lot. Even if it was stronger, it would still have problems. These included controlling the temperature, fire safety, and storage space. In 2020, the building was emptied. The museum's collection was moved into two special shipping containers. These containers keep the items safe and at the right temperature.
What You Can See
The History House Museum has many interesting items. They help tell the story of the Grey District.
- Photographs: There are many old pictures. They show Greymouth, gold mining, coal mining, and timber cutting. You can also see photos of ships, daily life, and how people lived long ago.
- Surveying Tools: In 1998, the museum received a full set of surveying tools. These tools were used to measure land. They might have belonged to an engineer named John Higgins. Some could even be from Edward Butler, the Grey District's first engineer. These tools are special because they show amazing craftsmanship from before the 1900s.
- Diver's Suit: You can see an old diver's suit. It comes with heavy lead boots and a pump for oxygen. This suit was used by divers working at the Greymouth Wharf.
- Mining Maps: The museum has old maps of coal mines. These were given by the Department of Commerce.
- Greenstone Jade: There is a collection showing how greenstone jade was worked in the region. This is a very important stone to Māori people.
- Royal Chair: You can see the chair that Queen Elizabeth II sat on. This was during her visit to New Zealand in 1954.
- Baby Scales: There is a set of Fairburn baby weighing scales. These were brought to Greymouth all the way from the USA.
- Shipwreck Timber: You can see timber from the SS Abel Tasman. This ship was wrecked at the mouth of the Grey River in 1936.
- Sunshine Recorder: The museum has a Campbell–Stokes recorder. This device was used to measure how many hours of sunshine there were.
- Photographer's Album: There is an album of photos by a local photographer named Charles Ring.
- Gold Bag: A metal and leather bag used for carrying gold bars is also on display.
- Sawmill Model: You can see a model of a sawmilling operation. This model shows how timber was cut at Lake Brunner.
In 1999, the museum showed copies of ten paintings by Charles Goldie. These were on loan from the son of a hotel owner.
- Former displays in Grey District Council Chambers
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Main display room
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Coal mine room
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Hotels of Westland
