Fifty years ago during the early 1960s a group of far-sighted Harrietville women spread the word in our community that they were going to start gathering what they could of our unique and fascinating local history. They called for anyone who had photographs, documents, maps, paper clippings or anything else relevant to the history of Harrietville or the mountains beyond, to donate them to the caus
e. At a time when hardly anybody around here saw any value in things historical and written off by many as a complete waste of time, this was indeed an inspired thing to do. But the stuff came rolling in, heaps and heaps of it, from bottom drawers and tattered photograph albums throughout the district, so much so that the women were overwhelmed. Faced with a mountain of material, they had some huge, leather-bound books made up and simply pasted the stuff onto the pages, quite randomly, as it came in. More items followed. The Harrietville Historical Society (HHS) was born. It became incorporated in 2003 and currently has a membership of 64 people. Their efforts can mostly be seen in Pioneer Park by the banks of the Ovens river opposite Tavare Park (over school bridge). It features a log wagon, water wheel and pioneer monument along with many commemorative stones and plaques. The most recent addition is a new drinking water station, incorporating metal sculptures of early gold prospectors, created by a local resident and talented artist Tom Bradbury. In _ _ _ _ the current Barkers Cottage Museum was opened. Then in _ _ _ _ the Gold Shed opened completing the new complex with larger relics on show within the grounds. The two front rooms of the museum were formerly a miner's cottage that was donated to the Historical Society by the Barker family, hence the name. These rooms have been furnished in period style. An extension was built onto the rear of this cottage to house a wonderful display of photo's and other items highlighting Harrietville's colourful history. Many other photo's, documents, etc. are held on file. The Gold shed is a stand alone building showcasing the area's rich gold mining history. Many unique and interesting items are on display. The gold shed also has a large database of photo's, maps, reports, etc. which are held on computer.
