Amo loves its interurban station and history
AMO, Ind. (The Republican) — A group of folks from the town of Amo have taken their community pride and turned it into a project of passion.
The Amo Interurban History Museum opened its doors in September of this year, in none other than the town’s highly coveted interurban depot. The old ticketing station also houses the Reading Room.
Occupying space in the heart of mainstreet Amo, the museum now sits filled with decades worth of historical artifacts, precious heirlooms, and many lifetimes of memories. All of this was made possible thanks to some Amo natives who just wanted to share their stuff with the public.
Darrell Mynatt, longtime resident, explained that he simply just had a lot of old high school photos laying around, and thought it best to do something with them. Mynatt’s former class mate and now fellow museum committee member, Dave Phillips had similar thoughts.
“When people leave then people take the history with them so why not do something to maintain history here,” Phillips said.
Thus the two got together and presented the idea of creating a museum to the Town Council. Once approved, the real work began.
After a number of meetings with Hendricks County Historian John Parsons, those passionate Amo people began collecting artifacts that they thought would shine light on the town and its past. Things like class photos, vintage letter jackets, newspaper clippings, and even a miniature basketball court (with wood from the original flooring) began filtering through the door and bringing life to the museum.
And just as the artifacts fill the room with history, the walls of the building carry memories of their own – something the committee has considered when laying out the space.
“We are saving the history, the antique part of the building,” Phillips explained.
In efforts to do just that, destruction of the structure has been avoided where possible. For instance, instead of hanging pictures on the brick interior, committee members have built rolling walls to display the pieces.
Though the exhibits are still a work in progress, according to committee member Becky Rhea, the museum is open and ready to welcome whoever may want to take a step back in time. Admission is free.
To learn more about the Amo Interurban History Museum or for hours of operation, visit amoin.net
This article originally appeared in the The Republican Newspaper.