Former Smyrna Mayor Harold Smith has dedicated his life to preserving the history of the town he loves.
The city will carry on the mission started by Smith, who was first elected in 1970, after voting to accept responsibility for the Smyrna Museum and its collection at its regular Monday meeting.
City Council committed about $22,000 for an assessment and redesign of the museum’s exhibits, and further promised to hire a full time historian to oversee it.
The Museum opened in 1999 in a replica of the 1910 Smyrna Train Depot, which was demolished in 1959. Smith, who founded the Smyrna Historical and Genealogical Society, filled it with thousands of artifacts, photographs and documents dating back to 1832.
Council Member Teri Anulewicz said it was important to have a “succession” plan in place for the museum, and hopes to see the collection organized into more of a narrative.
“There’s so much stuff and everything in there represents some facet of Smyrna’s history,” she said. “What we want to do now is tell the story of Smyrna.”
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