According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word museum first appears in the 1610s in reference to "the university building in Alexandria" (look up the Great Library of Alexandria.)
It comes from the Latin museum for "library, study, learned occupation," and from the Greek mouseion for "a place of study or library," and originally "a seat or shrine of the Muses" (Mousa for "Muse.") The earliest use in reference to English institutions was of libraries (e.g. British Museum.) It was first recorded in the sense of "building to display objects" in the 1680s.
Current definitions are:
A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates, and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment.
An institution devoted to the procurement, care, study, and display of objects of lasting interest or value; a place where objects are exhibited.
This means that a museum can be a building dedicated to the display of art, history, science, or technology, as well as an aquarium, a zoo, or a botanical garden.
Collected items, therefore, can be living objects.
The La Habra Historical Museum will soon be dedicating a plaque and a Swamp Lily that originally came across the prairie in the 1800s with the Launer family and planted on the site of our museum. The lily will be a living artifact of the museum; another one of our historical objects that ties the past to the present.
Look around your community and see what other living artifacts tie you and your community to the past.
Memories fill the basement of a 64-year-old adobe building in La Habra that once housed a local library.
A couple of oil-burning smudge pots – likely used decades ago in the city to prevent fruit trees from suffering frost damage – lay sideways on a shelf.
They're placed by an antique bicycle with an oversized front wheel, a wooden school desk, a telephone switchboard, a fireman's suit from the 1930s, a piece of the trunk of an avocado tree, old maps, yearbooks and mountains of family photos of folks wearing clothes that were probably stylish in the 1920s.
These artifacts will be displayed in such a way as to tell a story about a community where children commuted to school on the backs of donkeys and ostrich farms were a common sight.
The soon-to-open La Habra Historical Museum will serve as a center for collecting, preserving and interpreting historical artifacts as they pertain to La Habra and the surrounding communities, said museum director Carlotta Haider.
"Local museums are very popular in the U.S.," Haider said. "Every town is invested in its history."
Visitors will get their first peek into the museum, which has been in the works for about six years, during an open house from noon to 6 p.m. Aug. 8 during the La Habra Corn Festival. A soft opening is planned for Oct 17.
The La Habra Old Settlers Historical Society, which founded the museum and has roots dating back to 1898, will operate the museum, said president Kent Roberts. It will focus on La Habra's history from the late 1800s through the 1950s.
"It will give people a place to get a real sense of history," he said.
Most of the artifacts were donated by members of the historical society, which has a membership of about 1,000, including many descendants of the founding group.
One of the exhibits will showcase the history of the Hass (commonly misspelled Haas) Avocado Tree.
According to the historical society, postman Rudolph Hass of La Habra Heights purchased the tree as a seedling in 1926 and planted it in his front yard. Hass named the tree after himself and received a patent in 1935. To this day, all Hass avocados can be traced back to grafts from that mother tree, which died in 2002.
The society also owns nearly every issue of the La Habra Star Progress newspaper from 1916 to 1957.
Roberts hopes to have the issues scanned and available to the public digitally.
Funding, however, is still an ongoing issue.
The museum project received a $30,000 grant from Fourth District County Supervisor Chris Norby, a $45,000 federal grant for community development and about $125,000 from members of the historical society, Roberts said.
The city owns and maintains the building, which it leases to the historical society for $1 per year.
As is the case with many local museums, the La Habra museum will staff itself with volunteers and enlist college students to help with research and designing exhibits.
The museum will likely be open at least three days per week and admission will be free.
"Hopefully, this will make history relevant to people." Haider said. "There is a connection between then and now. … We are here because we were there."
The La Habra Historical Museum will be having an Open House at the 2009 La Habra Corn Festival from 12 noon to 6:00 p.m. After many years of preparation and building renovations, the La Habra Historical Museum at City Hall Park has hired museum staff and is planning opening exhibitions. The new director, Carlota F. Haider, and curator, Tina Hasenberg, will be on hand to answer questions and listen to suggestions from the community for future exhibits.
The La Habra Historical Museum also announces a Soft Opening on Saturday, October 17, 2009. This first exhibition will highlight elements of the future permanent exhibit.
The La Habra Historical Museum, founded by the La Habra Old Settlers Historical Society, will serve as a center for gathering, preserving, and interpreting significant historical artifacts, including photos, charts, maps, and books, for the purpose of educating and developing an appreciation of La Habra's past. Its mission is to enhance the knowledge of La Habra's heritage by providing attractive and accessible exhibits and related programs emphasizing the understanding of the many historical eras in the community's development from the days of the missions, through the various agricultural periods, the discovery of oil, and the formation of the city and its growth through the decades.
The La Habra Historical Museum encourages the public to stop by the Open House to see the new windmill, meet members of the La Habra Old Settlers Historical Society and the museum staff, and for a glimpse into upcoming exhibits.
Bienvenidos al Museo Histórico de La Habra
El Museo Histórico de La Habra (La Habra Historical Museum) va a ofrecer una Casa Abierta (Open House) para el Festival del MaÃz (Corn Festival) de 2009 de La Habra, desde las 12 del mediodÃa hasta las 6 de la tarde. Luego de muchos años de preparación y de renovaciones del edificio, el Museo Histórico de La Habra (La Habra Historical Museum), en City Hall Park, ha contratado personal de museo y ha planeado exhibiciones de apertura. La nueva Directora, Carlota F. Haider, y conservadora, Tina Hasenberg, estarán disponibles para responder a preguntas y atender a sugestiones de la comunidad para futuras exhibiciones.
El Museo Histórico de La Habra (La Habra Historical Museum) anuncia también una “Soft Opening” para el Sábado 17 de Octubre de 2009. Esta primera exhibición va a destacar elementos de la futura exhibición permanente.
El Museo Histórico de La Habra, fundado por la Sociedad Histórica de los Viejos Colonos (La Habra Old Settlers Historical Society), va a servir como un centro para coleccionar, preservar e interpretar artefactos históricos significativos, incluyendo fotos, gráficos, mapas y libros, con el propósito de educar y desarrollar una apreciación del pasado de La Habra. Su misión es mejorar el conocimiento del patrimonio de La Habra, proveyendo exhibiciones atractivas y accesibles y programas relacionados, dando émfasis a la comprensión de las numerosas eras históricas en el desarrollo de la comunidad desde los dÃas de las misiones, a través de los varios perÃodos agrÃcolas, el descubrimiento del petróleo y la formación de la ciudad con su crecimiento a través de las décadas.
El Museo Histórico de La Habra (La Habra Historical Museum) invita al público a detenerse en la Casa Abierta (Open House) para ver el nuevo molino de viento, conocer a miembros de la Sociedad Histórica de los Viejos Colonos de La Habra (La Habra Old Settlers Historical Society), al personal del Museo, y por una muestra de futuras exhibiciones.
