Approaching the driveway, a
visitor to the Chapman Museum was presented with an attractively
presented, well maintained collection of buildings. Some were readily
identifiable as a schools or a church, others required a closer look.
These buildings are the foundation upon which the museum was built.
Most served at least two purposes. First and foremost the preservation
of the structure carries with it the history of the individual building
as well as presenting a representative example of the type of building
and the general purposes such building served. An individual
rural school or a small rural church tells us a lot about schools and
churches in general, and about the broader history of the community
they served.
Most of the building served a secondary purpose as a part of the
overall museum, housing displays that were unrelated to the original
function.
It is important to note that the Chapmans documented the purchase
details and related history of each building. They generally took
photos of the moving. Many of the buildings requited significant
renovations before being to use in the Museum.
Here we take a building-by-building look at the Museum.
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