Toys & Childhood Memories

The November lobby exhibit is a selection of toys from the Prairie Museum of Art & History Collection.

By definition, a toy is an item expecially designed to be used for play (usually for children). Early archaeological sites have turned up toys representing infants, animals, soldiers, and representations of tools used by adults.

Playing with toys is considered to be an important part of growing up and learning about the world around us.

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Toys are generally divided into the following types:

Construction Sets: This group includes simple building blocks, Lego bricks, Lincoln Logs, Erector Sets, and models which required pieces to be assembled to create an object or toy such as cars or airplanes.

Dolls & Miniatures: A doll is a model of a human (often a baby) a humanoid (like Bert & Ernie) or an animal. This category also includes action figures, toy soldiers, animals, and other figures molded from plastic.

Vehicles: This group includes cars, trucks, tractors, aircraft, boats, military vehicles, and trains.

Puzzles: This group includes nearly anything which involves finding the solution to a problem such as picture puzzles, Rubik's Cube, mechanical puzzles, and also board games.

Collectibles: Good examples of collectibles are Beanie Babies, and Boyds Bears.

Promotional Merchandise: These toys usually represent motion pictures, television programs, books, and sports teams. A good example is Star Wars and Disney themed items.

Digital Toys: These toys incorporate some type of interactive digital electronic games.

Physical Activity: Many toys are part of active play such as hoops, tops, jump ropes, and balls.  

There is no admission to visit this temporary lobby exhibit. Maybe it will rekindle some childhood memories.

If you have either old or contemporary toys you would like to contribute to the Prairie Museum of Art & History collection, please call Ray at 785-460-4590 or e-mail registrar@prairiemuseum.org 

Ceramic Figurines

The October lobby exhibit is a selection of figurines from the ceramics collection at Prairie Museum of Art & History.

The figurines in this exhibit represent a wide variety of sizes and subjects.

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The earliest ceramics made by humans were pottery objects like pots or vessels or figurines made from clay. Sometimes the clay was mixed with other materials like silica and hardened in fire. Later ceramics were glazed and fired to create smooth, colored surfaces. Ceramics now include household, industrial and building products as well as a wide range of ceramic art. In modern times ceramics is the art and science of making objects from inorganic, non-metalic materials by the action of heat.

Palace Drug Store

The items in the lobby exhibit during September are from the collection of Randy and Linda Smith, owners of Palace Drug Store in Colby.

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 Three cup mixer from the soda fountain.

Balance scale and weights used for measuring powders.

 Mortar & Pestle

 Pages from J. B. Hampton's "recipe" book.

 Medicine Bottles

Pill Boxes

 A log of poisons sold was kept daily.

 A prescription was required to buy alcohol during prohibition. This one written in 1922 was for a pint of whiskey.

 Vintage Coca Cola Bottle

The Palace Drug Store opened for business in 1886 at what is now 435 North Franklin Avenue.  In 1890 a new building was constructed using Colby brick for the drug store across the street at 460 North Franklin.  B. W. Martin and J. B. Hampton were the original owners and operated in a partnership for over 20 years.

In 1910, Hampton bought out his partner and changed the name to Hampton's. Hampton also manufactured drugs and various compounds sold in other stores. The drug store also sold dry goods and had a soda fountain featuring ginger ale.

In the years to follow, the drug store was part of the Raney chain of stores. P. D. (Freddie) Frederick came from Norton to operate Raney Drug and later purchased the store and renamed it Frederick Pharmacy.

Randy and Linda Smith purchased the store in July 1977 and soon changed the name back to Palace Drug Store. Randy (a registered pharmacist) and Linda are celebrating 40 years of ownership of the store this year.

The Palace Drug Store has seen many changes and undergone a few 'facelifts' over the years, but is still going strong.

 

Cups and Drinking Glasses

The cups and drinking glasses exhibited in the lobby for August are from the Prairie Museum of Art and History collection. They represent just one type of advertising souvenirs given away by Thomas County businesses, schools, and organizations. Some are several decades old and others are contemporary.

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All types of advertising souvenirs are an important part of our local history. If you or your business have Thomas County souvenirs we would gratefully accept your donation to our Prairie Museum of Art and History collection.