A grand opening of the annex of the MHC Heritage Museum will be held from 3-8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, at the museum, 1 E. Main St., Martinsville.
The annex is a 13,000-square-foot new building behind the former Henry County Courthouse, which was built in 1824 with a 1929 addition. The two buildings are connected by a skywalk and together give more than 25,000 square feet of museum exhibit space.
The grand opening will feature children’s games and activities, refreshments and live music, all free. Ann’s Kitchen will sell food. Admission to the annex will be free to all children up to age 18 as well as free to members. Memberships can be purchased at the event.
The free grand opening event will be held on the courtyard on the museum grounds. General admission for inside the museum is $10, with $5 for children 2-18 and 65+ and free for infants.
Construction of the annex building was completed in August 2024. It holds the King Collections of antiques: Native American artifacts; horse tack; firearms; toys; model trains, specializing in Marklin and Lionel; artisan, defense and circus canes; a gambling parlor; Madame Alexander dolls; unique dollhouses; medical and dental equipment; woodworking tools; construction tools; textile tools; locks; steam whistles; early experimental electronic devices; fans; telegraph and telephone equipment; and more.
The collections were donated by Dr. Mervyn and Mrs. Virginia King to the MHC Historical Society, which operates the MHC Heritage Museum. The Kings donated the funding to build the annex as well.
Dr. King and his volunteer assistant, Jack Stewart, spent the past year setting up all the displays, with help from other volunteers including Randy Hundley, Steve Keyser and Michael Sanguedolce, among others.
A members-only event Friday night, Sept. 5, will feature live music, hors d’oeuvres and wine. It will be the first time the fully finished exhibits in the 13,000-square-foot annex will be open to visitors. Memberships are available at the museum and over https://www.mhchistoricalsociety.org/memberships.
For more information, including a new local history column each day, visit www.mhchistoricalsociety.org.
