A Journey Through Time Awaits

BY CINDY JONES

The Syracuse Regional Museum is an exciting, interactive experience with something for everyone. Longtime residents can reminisce about the people and events of the past, while newcomers and young people can uncover fascinating events that happened where they live.

You might not realize there’s a time machine right here in Syracuse.

Without ever leaving the city, you can explore life in the early 1800s through photographs, toys, musical instruments, tools, books, clothing and more. Learn about the city’s unique Japanese culture with dishes, porcelain dolls, exotic silks and ceremonial items. Discover why baseball was such an integral part of the early Syracuse community, step into a Victorian-era kitchen, and re-live the difficult but rewarding farming lifestyle of early Syracuse settlers from around the world.

Opened in 2002, the Syracuse Regional Museum is housed in two structures: a modern brick building and a barn-like structure on Antelope Drive. The main building encompasses the people and events from the past that helped shape Syracuse in its formative years, and several displays of household rooms, complete with antique furniture depict life from bygone eras. The barn is home to hundreds of exhibits that delve into stories of farming and homesteading, a culture that gave Syracuse strong roots in Davis County.

Among other displays inside the barn, visitors can learn about the Hamblin Farm. The farm was one of the last dairy farms in existence in Syracuse, passed down through five generations of the Hamblin family, and known for teaching local schoolchildren how agriculture brings food to our tables. Don’t miss the two-headed calf!

Also inside the barn are are a restored handcart and an interactive exhibit about early sugar beet farms that helped shape the city, including a restored Sugar Beet truck. Another popular display is Syracuse’s first fire truck, a 1943, 500-gallon Ford truck purchased from Boise, Idaho in 1965.

The museum is also home to the Historic Wilcox Cabin and Waite’s Barber shop, both original structures from around the city that have been preserved, moved to the museum and furnished with antique furniture, tools, supplies and household items to help tell the stories of their former inhabitants.

The museum hosts several exciting events throughout the year, including guest speakers, tours, festivals and the popular “Late Night at the Museum” tour every October, that entices young guests with candy and spooky tales from the past.

Plan Your Visit
1891 West Antelope Dr. (1700 S.) Syracuse
Open Tuesday – Friday
2 – 5 p.m. or Call to Make an Appointment
Facebook & Instagram (@syracusemuseum)

Do you own a collection of antiques and have some great stories about them? We want to hear from you!
Email cindy@connectionpub.com with your stories, and we might feature them in the magazine.