Alameda & District Heritage Museum may be out of this world

ALAMEDA — The Alameda & District Heritage Museum may not have opened until June of 1990, but how it came into being has an interesting history.

It is located in a house that was built in 1908 for a man named G.O. Tice, who had lost his home in a fire. He was the first of several who owned or lived in the house. For a while, it was even used as something other than a home. Dr. H.H. Galloway once set up residency in it and used it as an ‘unofficial hospital’, a clinic where babies were born and the elderly were cared for. It wasn’t a well-equipped facility, but had enough to take care of basics.

Eventually it became a normal residence once again and it was lived in until 1980, when the local credit union was forced to take it over after the owner defaulted on mortgage payments. It sat empty for seven years.

In 1987, a group of concerned citizens approached the credit union about the possibility of converting the vacant home into a museum. The credit union offered to turn the house over to the town on the condition that it would no longer have to pay property taxes on it.

The town accepted the offer and the work began to create the museum. Three years later, it opened to the public.

It is filled with relics of Alameda’s past. So many historical donations came in that an extension had to be added to the two-story house in 1995. Donations still continue to come in.

There are several drawing cards for the museum. Those looking for historical artifacts and information about Alameda will find much of it there. There is a model of the town as it existed before a fire that began in a butcher shop in 1907, destroying much of Alameda’s business section. The model is built according to scale.

One will also find a display of Dr. Galloway’s medical room, created by his son, Dr. Gerry Galloway. The exhibit includes old wheelchairs, antique bedpans and many other pieces of equipment that were used in those doctoring days.

Other worldly

Another feature of the museum that attracts a lot of attention is the claim of paranormal activity. A former renter of the house attests to seeing an orb of light hovering over his son while he slept on the sofa. The observer stated that he “found it very eerie”. On another occasion, a lady who is part of the museum board tells of a time when she saw a man in blue overalls pass through a wall. Several residents of Alameda claim to know who the figure was.

This other-worldly activity has caught the attention of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN-TV), who featured a program called The Other Side for nine seasons. One of the show’s episodes featured the museum. Show personnel braved a night, camping out in the museum. The show claimed that a small child’s rocking chair rocked on its own, lights were seen and footsteps were heard. A lot of activity apparently took place that night.

APTN-TV, hearing of the man in blue overalls apparition, sent an elder to the museum to perform an exorcism. Not for the purpose of ridding the museum of its demons, but to release the spirit who was bound in it. The spectre in blue overalls has not been seen since.

Sherlynne Best, the museum’s secretary-treasurer, believes the reports that she hears about the paranormal activity. So much so that she and another citizen of the community are considering spending a night at the museum to see if they can meet some of the “residents”.

The work of the museum goes on. As well as adding to the exhibits, upgrades have taken place. The task of replacing all the windows has finally been completed, thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Prairie Pride Credit Union.

The museum is normally closed, but will be opened upon request. Since committee members live so close, some on the same street, it can be opened within a couple of minutes following a phone call. The phone numbers are listed on the museum’s door.

It is located next to the United Church at 209 5th Street. There is no admission fee, but donations are gratefully accepted. The museum continues to operate as a result of fundraising and donations.

Take time to visit the museum and learn of Alameda’s history. Who knows … maybe you’ll even meet someone there who you’ll never bump into on Alameda’s streets!