From a 1925 vintage fire engine to an antique toy exhibit to a display about convicted murderer Martha Grinder, a Kiski Valley museums open house tour Sunday had something for everybody. The tour encompassed exhibits from the Victorian Vandergrift Museum and Historical Society, as well as the Apollo, Hyde Park
Four Alle-Kiski Valley museums are banding together to promote history and heritage with a free tour of their premises. An open house showcasing the historical museums of Leechburg, Hyde Park, Apollo and Vandergrift is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Free shuttle trips among the four museums will
Take a big trip down memory lane through three small rooms that comprise the Hyde Park Museum.
Originally called the Hyde Park Museum Historical Room, volunteers Kathleen Baker and Maria Vokish have helped to expand the exhibits, adding rooms since opening in 2001.
The museum is nestled inside the former Hope Lutheran Church located at 339 First St., along the Kiski River in Westmoreland County.
Kathleen was baptized there as a child.
“This museum means a lot to me,” Baker said. “It’s an asset to our little town.”
The rooms house more than 2,500 artifacts.
Celebrating their 20th anniversary during a pandemic wasn’t exactly what they wished for, but the volunteer duo are offering free tours by appointment only because of covid-19 restrictions.