Molly Seaver welcomes visitors.
By Deby Jo Ferguson
Progress-Staff
On Saturday, May 31 the Old Jail Museum celebrated its 50 year birthday bash with cake, games for kids, face painting, visitors and lots of history.
Hostess/historical interpreter Molly Seaver was on hand to give tours and answer questions to all those who helped celebrate the occasion. Seaver called it a “very special day” for her with the 50 year celebration of the Old Jail Museum as she also celebrated her own birthday.
One could spend hours looking back in history with the many collectables and donations from years gone by.
The two-story museum once housed inmates upstairs and one cell downstairs, with a living quarters for the sheriff and his family.
One donation was a quilt which was said to be made by Cherokee women after the removal. It was donated by Betty McWirter of Warne, who was given the quilt by her grandmother Alice Spigle McNelly. McWirter’s ancestors were part of the forced march to Oklahoma by the U.S. government in 1883-39 now referred to as the Trail of Tears.
The museum also houses a still for making moonshine back in the day and artifacts of all kinds. Some of the new exhibits include Chatuge Dam, the Peavine Railroad and history of education in Clay County.
To visit the jail, hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and located at 21 Davis Loop in Hayesville..