Do you have interesting old, vintage or antique items you think others may enjoy seeing?

The Martinsville-Henry County Heritage Center & Museum is planning three new short-term exhibits and seeks to borrow items from local residents. Any items lent to the museum will be well taken care of and returned after six months.

The exhibits will be:

Local media – seeking copies of community newspapers, especially older ones no longer in publication; recording devices; film reels and 8-track tapes and playing machines; old media microphones; old radio program schedules, TV Guides and the like; other items that would have been used to produce local news; and old radios and small old televisions. Local media companies are participating.

Home sewing – seeking old sewing notions, such as wooden spools of thread and rolls of trim, rick-rack and lace; clothing patterns; home-sewn garments, curtains and other cloth items; feed-sack dresses; quilts (new and old); patterns; sewing tools and the like. The foundation of this exhibit is from five sewing machines that span the years, donated by Tiffany Hayworth of Martinsville, and patterns donated by Myrna Ferguson of Collinsville.

Prom dresses – seeking prom gowns through the decades. The foundation of this exhibit is an assortment of gowns and dresses from the collection of the late Virginia Windle, local historian.

Anyone with ideas or artistic flair is invited to help plan and set up the exhibits and to give suggestions.

These exhibits are expected to open in February and run through early summer. Museum volunteers Michael Sanguedolce and Jack Stewart have been getting the sewing machines and two typewriters (for the media exhibit) in working order and conducting research. MHC Historical Society Executive Director Holly Kozelsky is coordinating the exhibits.

The Museum also seeks donations of other items that illustrate life in years gone by, and also needs old pictures (it could take copies and return the originals) from around the community, for general purposes.

Items may be dropped off at the museum, 1 E. Main St., Martinsville, between 1-4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, through Feb. 9. To make other arrangements, including pick-up, call 276-403-5361 or email mhchistoricalsociety@gmail.com.

The MHC Heritage Center & Museum is open from 1-4 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays with a volunteer docent for guided tours and also most times between 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Its website is mhchistoricalsociety.org

— In the above photo, volunteer Jack Stewart gets an old typewriter donated by Tiffany Hayworth into working condition.