Free and open to the public

About the Exhibition

The Massillon Museum’s summer exhibition—“Eclectic.Everyday.Elegant.”—celebrates 75 years of excellence. The Massillon Museum opened in 1933. The exhibition will feature the 75 most important objects in the collection, display favorite objects, and relive popular exhibitions from the past. The exhibition, which encompasses both the first and second levels of the Museum, opens on Saturday, June 7, and continues through Sunday, September 14, 2008.

The anniversary exhibition will open with a free pubic reception on Saturday, June 7, from 7:00 to 9:00. No reservations are necessary. All ages are welcome.

About the Exhibit Catalog

A 132-page, soft cover catalog accompanying the exhibition has been published (available August 1). It includes essays and color photographs of the Massillon Museum’s 75 most important permanent collection objects. A limited number of catalogs are available. Orders may be placed over the phone (Visa or Mastercard), in person (cash, check, Visa, Mastercard), and at our online shop.

What You'll See

The main gallery on the first floor will spotlight permanent collection objects deemed by the staff and exhibition committee to be the best 75 pieces in the collection, which numbers more than 100,000 items.

The second floor galleries will be divided into spaces for a curiosity cabinet, a sports area, a timeline paralleling the history of the town and the evolution of the Massillon Museum, a Native American display, costumes, and photographs. With two of the vignettes, many visitors will be reminded of the Victorian parlor and the pioneer kitchen that were popular in the “old” building, when the Massillon Museum shared quarters with the Massillon Public Library.

In addition to the Museum’s big annual summer events—the Island Party and Fun Fest—many 75th anniversary events have been scheduled beginning in July: three gallery talks, an antique car show followed by a related evening benefit event, a brown bag lunch, pioneer day, and a community celebration dinner.

“Eclectic.Everyday.Elegant.” may be seen during regular Museum hours Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. The Museum will be closed on July 4. A visit to the Massillon Museum is always free.

The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East (Ohio 172) in downtown Massillon. For more information, call the Museum at 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org.

Photo Identification:
Eclectic: Permanent Wave Machine, 1928
Everyday: Ravenswood Photograph by Henry Clay Fleming (Unidentified), c. 1920s
Elegant: Meissen Potpourri Jar, c. 1850

The Massillon-manufactured steam engine will be on the lawn; the locally-made Jewel automobile will be in the lobby.

The main gallery on the first floor will spotlight permanent collection objects deemed by the staff and exhibition committee to be the best 75 pieces in the collection, which numbers more than 100,000 items. Summer visitors will see photographs by internationally renowned photographers Aaron Siskind, Harry Callahan, and Nell Dorr, as well as historic images by outstanding local photographers: a Massillon Tiger football game from a century ago, the canal, the Rohr barn raising, and Coxey’s march .

P.T. Barnum’s gold-topped cane, a Tommy Henrich Yankees jersey, Ida McKinley’s wedding corset, a Civil War drum, Tom Thumb’s wedding vest, and a cigar store Indian are among the eclectic items in the exhibition. A Hess-Snyder heating stove, early nineteenth-century clothing, and the Massillon-made Coleman clock are among the everyday objects to be displayed. Elegant artifacts will include signed Tiffany goblets, silver spoons, and a large, ornate Meissen potpourri jar.

Work by William T. Mathews, Anna Richards Brewster, Raphael Gleitsmann, Viktor Schreckengost, Clyde Singer, and Ralph Albert Blakelock headline the paintings in the summer show. Art in the exhibition includes a pastel drawing by Auguste Renoir, a print by Russell Limbach, and an enamel box by William Harper. The Museum’s sculpture collection will be represented by the three-dimensional works of Anna Hyatt Huntington, Chaim Gross, David Hostetler, and William Zorach.

The electric permanent wave machine amazes visitors whenever it’s on display. A hippopotamus hide and silver shield from the Abyssinian trade mission led by three Massillon men in 1903 will be exhibited. A medal related to the sinking of the Titanic, a letter to Massillonian Jacob Hess from John Sutter (on whose land the California Gold Rush initiated), an 1875 Massillon opera house poster, a canal toll book, and the original map of Massillon will intrigue visitors.

Oscar (the skeleton) and the Immel Circus will remain on view as two of the Museum’s best-loved objects.

The second floor galleries will be divided into spaces for a curiosity cabinet, a sports area, a timeline paralleling the history of the town and the evolution of the Massillon Museum, a Native American display, costumes, and photographs. With two of the vignettes, many visitors will be reminded of the Victorian parlor and the pioneer kitchen that were popular in the “old” building, when the Massillon Museum shared quarters with the Massillon Public Library.

In addition to the Museum’s big annual summer events—the Island Party and Fun Fest—many 75th anniversary events have been scheduled beginning in July: three gallery talks, an antique car show followed by a related evening benefit event, a brown bag lunch, pioneer day, and a community celebration dinner.

A 120-page, soft cover catalog accompanying the exhibition will be published early in the summer. It will include essays and color photographs of the Massillon Museum’s 75 most important permanent collection objects. A sample draft can be seen at the opening, when the book can be pre-ordered.

“Eclectic.Everyday.Elegant.” may be seen during regular Museum hours Tuesdays through Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sundays 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. The Museum will be closed on July 4. A visit to the Massillon Museum is always free.

The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East (Ohio 172) in downtown Massillon. For more information, call the Museum at 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org.

Audio Tour

This exhibition is enhanced by audio, that includes interviews and music. To listen to the audio tour from your cell phone (sponsored by Massillon Cable TV) dial this toll-free number (the only cost is your cell phone minutes):

866-418-0753

OR you can download MP3 files for your own audio device below

1 Russell Traction Steam Engine

2 Jewel Automobile, 1907-1908

3 Human Skeleton, “Oscar”

4 Massillon Map, 1826

5 Regina Music Box, c. 1902

6 Jacob Rohr Barn Raising Photograph

7 New York Yankees Road Jersey, 1951

8 The Immel Circus

9 Albert Hise, former Museum curator

Visiting the Museum

The Massillon Museum is located at 121 Lincoln Way East (Ohio Route 172) in the heart of downtown Massillon. For more information, contact the Museum at 330-833-4061 or visit www.massillonmuseum.org.

The Massillon Museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. A visit to the Massillon Museum is always free.

Do you need help planning a trip to the Massillon Museum? Click here for visitor information.