Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History

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Hastings: Then & Now

Hastings: Then and Now

Sponsored by
Sullivan, Shoemaker, Witt and Burns
Attorneys at Law,
Graham Gallery
& Walgreens

Open thru October 25, 2009

Brach suit
This three piece suit was worn by William Brach, c. 1880, who managed a store on 2nd Street, which is now the Dollar General.

From the first settlers through present day immigrants, Hastings population has had various periods of growth and decline with stable numbers in between. These periods were not always conditions caused from within our community, but reflected much broader regional and national events. For example, the farm crisis of the late 1800s that struck the southern and Great Plains states eventually affected Wall Street and other businesses. High unemployment caused many to become homeless. In Hastings, many people left, seeking work elsewhere. At the other end of the spectrum, Hastings experienced extreme, rapid growth and housing shortages when the Naval Ammunition Depot was established in 1942.

The Hastings Museum has teamed up with Adams County Historical Society and Elizabeth Spilinek to explore our community through the boom and bust periods which shaped Hastings into the town it is today. In this temporary exhibit, entitled Hastings: Then and Now, photographs from the historical society’s collection of businesses, institutions and homes will be compared to recent photographs taken by Ms. Spilinek. These photos show changes in architecture of the town caused by social and economical events that occurred. In addition, there will be a special opportunity to see artifacts from the museum collection that are not usually on display that related to these various buildings and time periods.

The museum will also help promote the soon to be released book by Ms. Spilinek. The book explores more of the changes that took place in Hastings from its first founding year to 1950. Date and time of the book signing to be announced later.

Hastings: Then and Now will be on exhibit from January 17 through October 25, 2009 in the East Gallery of the Hastings Museum.

Location: Main Level