Past Events
& Exhibits
and other interesting stories!
Embedded Files
CCHS’ 50th Anniversary Fall Celebration
CCHS’ 50th Anniversary Fall Celebration
SEPTEMBER 23, 2024
SEPTEMBER 23, 2024
Featuring the Clinton County Historical Museum re-opening of our newly renovated Carriage House that was constructed in the 1860's.
We also dedicated a Time Capsule to be opened in 2074 showing life of our time.
It will reside on display at the County Courthouse.
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1920 Tornado Pictures from Lloyd Parr
1920 Tornado Pictures from Lloyd Parr
St Johns Railroad Depot after a tornado in March 1920
Sunday, July 14th, 2024
As part of our 50th Anniversary celebrations, local historians, Alice and Pete Murphy lead us on a 45-minute walking “Tornado Tour”, sharing the story of the tornado of March 28, 1920, that reached wind speeds of 100 – 150 MPH as it headed down Clinton Avenue.
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Here is personal account of the tornado as told by Lloyd Parr in 1973.
I'm one of those who survived the 1920 Clinton County tornado. My older brother Ward, myself and my mother were sitting in a porch swing and it was so sultry and hot and humid and quiet that we decided, minutes before the tornađo hit, to go down to my grandmother's, which was a block away. The tornado almost completely demolished our house, and tore the swing we had heen sitting on all to pieces. Our next door neighbor was a man by the name of Newt Smith. He was a rural mail carrier, and at the time the tornado hit, was out under his Ford Model-T in his garage, draining the oil. The tornado put his Ford in our kitchen, put his garage on top of our house, and made hís 70 foot long L-shaped porch completely disappear. It is also true that it took the third story of a hardware store and dumped it in the street, and emptied my dad's drugstore of all drugs, all the merchandise he had in the store was cleaned out and scattered all over the streets. It also demolished the depot, and it just happened that this was on the Sunday before Easter, and the man in charge of the depot had gone home for dinner and therefore wasn't killed. Three huge 48-inch girth trees in our front yard were twisted like match-sticks and a bale of hay or straw from our neighbor's barn impregnated a telephone pole so it looked like a porcupine. I was six years old at the time, but I remember it very vividly and always will.
Children’s Victorian Christmas Party
Children’s Victorian Christmas Party
DECEMBER 10, 2022
DECEMBER 10, 2022
The Clinton County Historical Museum, Paine-Gillam-Scott House hosted a children’s Victorian Christmas party on Wednesday, December 14, 2022.
We had a tour of the House, made a Victorian Christmas craft, and listened to a story teller that shared a Christmas in the past. We even sang some Christmas carols along to the music of the pump organ!
Doctors, Druggists and Dentist at the Museum
Doctors, Druggists and Dentist at the Museum
JUNE 25, 2020
Who were our early health care providers? Where was the first hospital in Clinton County?
The first brick and mortar building used for a hospital was located at 108 Spring Street in St. Johns. Built in 1881 as a personal residence for Dr. Andrew J. Wiggins, it was eventually used for his Wiggins Sanitarium where he treated people for kidney, bladder and nervous diseases. In 1911 it became the Hart Clinic, also known as St. Johns Hospital, owned and operated by Drs. Arthur O. and Eugene Hart.
At a much earlier date Dr. Oliver C. Joslen cared for patients in his home, known as the Joslen Infirmary located on the corner of Ottawa and State Streets.
The decision to showcase the medical professions was made last year, but in light of our current pandemic situation, it seems like a very timely subject. If you have photos related to this exhibit that might enhance our display please share them with us. Although our exhibits naturally focus on the past, we sincerely salute those in the medical field who are on the front lines of the current pandemic.
Scenes of old St. Johns now in Museum school room
Scenes of old St. Johns now in Museum school room
JULY 11, 2019
Scenes of old St. Johns painting by Jim Glass in 1987 is currently hanging in the School Room of the Paine-Gillam-Scott House.
The Rudoni family donated the mural that was previously hanging in the dining area of KFC in St. Johns. Plan a visit to the Museum and test your knowledge of the history of St. Johns.
Museum features artifacts from Police and Fire Departments
Museum features artifacts from Police and Fire Departments
JUNE 27, 2019
Artifacts from the 2019 Exhibit, Clinton County Police and Fire Departments, are located in the Paine-Gillam-Scott House and the Carriage House.
Check out the hand pump fire extinguisher and many more artifacts in the Carriage House.
Located in the Paine-Gillam-Scott House are police and fire uniforms, history of the departments, many photographs and unique artifacts from both departments.
A Historic Site. (Click to read)
A Historic Site. (Click to read)
History was made in St. Johns July 29. That’s the date for the dedication ceremony of a Michigan Historical Marker at the Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum.
“We are all thrilled – it’s a great honor,” says Catherine Rumbaugh, who along with her late husband, John, were instrumental in the formation and continued operation of the Museum.
The process of being accepted as a recipient of the marker was lengthy, requiring an abundance of data collection and historic verification. “We’ve been working on this for more than two years,” Rumbaugh says, adding that the St. Johns Rotary Club also played a part in obtaining the marker.
“The entire cost of the marker was donated by Rotary – we owe the club a debt of gratitude,” she says. “We also appreciate the city of St. Johns working with us in providing for the installation of the marker.” Unveiling of the marker took place during a special dedication ceremony that began at 7 p.m., July 29. County, city, and state officials were invited to attend, along with representatives from the Michigan Historical Commission and numerous local civic and community groups.
Betty Jane Minsky, president of the Clinton County Historical Society, officially accepted the marker on behalf of the local organization. Refreshments were served following the completion of the ceremony, and tours of the Museum were conducted by volunteer docents of the Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum Advisory Board.
The following information on the doctors for whom the Museum is named is provided by Rumbaugh.
John W. Paine (1821-1870), whose wife was a sister to Charles Kipp, was an early merchant in Clinton County working in partnership with Kipp at a general store in Rochester Colony where they settled in 1956. In 1859, the new railroad enticed them to St. Johns. Paine built the first brick store and the oldest brick house in St. Johns in 1860 – 10 years before the courthouse was built.
A successful merchant, Paine served the village and promoted education in many ways including the erection of the three-story Union School in 1865. The Union School was located on the site where Central School was built in 1885, when the Union School was destroyed by fire.
Dr. Samuel E. Gillam (1845-1908) purchased the house which included the doctor’s office to the north in 1883. The remodeling of the Italianate house to include Victorian amenities occurred soon after this move. Gillam began his medical practice in Elsie in 1869, moving to St. Johns in 1879.
Dr. Gillam performed the first abdominal surgery in Clinton County in 1880. His expertise earned him praise and respect as a physician and surgeon. He also served as surgeon for the Detroit, Grand Haven, and Milwaukee (Grand Trunk) Railroad.
In 1904 the growth of Dr.Gillam’s practice necessitated the addition of a partner – Dr. Walter A. Scott. Gillam relinquished his residence to the Scotts in 1905, following the death of his wife, Rose Finch. Rose was the daughter of Peter and Mary Finch of Greenbush Township. She married the young doctor, and taught art and china painting to the ladies in Elsie and St. Johns. The Museum owns several items produced by her art students.
Dr. Walter A. Scott (1874-1934) purchased the house in 1911. He and his wife, Malinda Braidy, were the last residential owners of the house. Dr. Scott served in World War I, and was active in organizing the Edwin T. Stiles American Legion Post 153. He was also active in Masons, Oddfellows, Rotary, and the Commercial Club.
Linda invited several ladies to her home for the purpose of organizing the American Legion Auxiliary. The Museum Tulip Tree along with the pink and white dogwood trees are the remnants of Linda’s beautiful flower garden.
Although his name is not part of the Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum, another well-known physician also played a role in its history. Dr. Sherwood R. Russell (1906-1979) assumed Scott’s practice following his death in 1934. Dr.Russell and his new bride, Edith Hunter, rented the upstairs and office from Mrs. Scott for two years.
Dr. Russell was chief of staff at Clinton Memorial Hospital for many years. He had been on staff and served as an instructor in surgery at the University of Michigan Hospital prior to taking over Scott’s practice.
In all, the house was occupied by physicians for 55 years. The St. Johns Professionals received a Michigan Centennial Business Award in 1994 for the continued practice of medicine that included Drs. Gillam, Scott, Russell, and Grost.
The house was sold to Clinton County in 1962 and was used as offices for several county functions, while Dr. Herbert L. Oatley retained the office annex and its property.
In September 1978, the county leased the house to the Clinton County Historical Society. It was restored and has been operated as the Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum since that time. It has been listed in the State Register of Historic Sites since 1980.
High Wheel Bike at Museum
High Wheel Bike at Museum
July 31, 2014
St. Johns Bicycle Band
Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum is proud to have a High Wheel Bike on display for a limited time. The bike is an original 50” “Columbia Expert” and is representative of those ridden by the (SJBB).
The Bicycle Band entertained citizens of Michigan at social events and political rallies from 1886-1891. The members were offered a job in Ringling Brothers’ circus as their parade band, but declined because many of their parents would not consent to the travel involved. The band consisted of an average of twenty young men from the St. Johns and Clinton County area.
The St. Johns Bicycle Band had its debut when the idea was still new on November 23, 1885, at the Diamond Rink, a new St. Johns roller skating facility.
The Clinton Republican on November 26, 1885 reported:
George Rhodes has organized a new band from the members of the St. Johns bicycle club, called the “Bicycle Band”. And it made a successful debut at the Diamond Rink Monday evening. Every member is a bicycle rider, and should no infantile disease carry it off before the daisies bloom again, our citizens may witness the novel sight of a brass band discoursing sweet music from the saddles of their steeds of steel as they glide up and down the avenue. St. Johns has the only bicycle band in the world, so far as we have returns.
The line-up for the Memorial Day Parade on May 31, 1886 showed the St. Johns Bicycle Band in the lead as the march went from Clinton Ave., then east on Walker St. to the cemetery. They also led the 4th of July Parade that year.
The antique bike is on loan from Randy Oleynik of Carleton, Michigan, a member of the Wheelmen Bicycling Club. In 1992 the Wheelmen Club recreated the original St. Johns Bicycle Band (SJBB). They performed as a bicycle band one time at the American Brass Band Festival. The W. P. Cyclone High Wheel Bicycle Band, organized by Frank Stasa and Randy Oleynik, is a spinoff of the recreation band, and continues to ride the High Wheel Bikes playing brass instruments.
Museum acquires Victorian furniture from Hicks’ estate
Museum acquires Victorian furniture from Hicks’ estate
September 10, 2009
September 10, 2009
Gift of The Wadell family
Gift of The Wadell family
The gift of an 1870s Victorian Renaissance bedroom suite by the Wadell family to the Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum not only benefits the Museum but brings with it additional history of Clinton County and the City of St. Johns.
The following information on the furniture – and its original owner – is provided by Catherine Rumbaugh, PGS Museum director.
The furniture was purchased by John Hicks for his then new home on State Street. The four pieces were made in Grand Rapids which was the furniture capital of Michigan at the time.
John Hicks came to St. Johns, moving from DeWitt in 1856. He had been a merchant with his uncle, David Sturgis. He established his St. Johns store in a frame building in the new village. Hicks served the community and its customers for 112 years, closing in 1961.
In 1858, John Hicks began buying grain and built a warehouse. At his death in 1903, he was Clinton County’s oldest grain merchant as well as the oldest proprietor of a dry-goods store. His son, John C. Hicks, took over the family business.
As a service to his community Hicks operated a foundry and he participated in civic projects. When R. M. Steel moved to St. Johns in 1860, Hicks helped in the building of many beautiful brick structures providing employment for many St. Johns residents.
John Hicks helped to establish the First National Bank in 1865 becoming its vice president and later its president. The bank had its own bank notes printed and signed by the President, Charles Kipp, in its beginning. The Museum has one of those bills.
As chairman of the building of the Clinton County Courthouse in 1869, John Hicks and his committee acquired Oliver Hidden of Bay City as architect. They were also responsible for the raising of funds to build the building. Oliver Hidden was to also design the home and carriage house of John Hicks as well as others in the community.
Active in the Methodist Church of St. Johns, he served as chairman of its board and a trustee. The will of John Hicks left a pipe organ to his church and at the death of his wife, Eliza Ann Huston Hicks, the family gave the tower bells. When the 1895 church burned Oct. 10, 1936, only the tower with its chimes were saved and are used in the present church today.
From the quagmire of Clinton Avenue to his mansion on State Street, John Hicks was surely one of the pioneers that brought St. Johns to a prosperous city.
The Museum and the community have the Wadell family to thank for the generous gift. The children of Harry and Mary Wadell, Lyle Wadell, Marilyn Clark, Charles Wadell, Janice Yallup and Betty Hallead, have donated the Hicks’ bedroom suite in memory of their parents.
Harry and Mary Wadell purchased the furniture at a tag sale at the Hicks house in 1946. Bertha, the widow of John C. Hicks, had decided to move to Flint where her daughter and family lived. It was at this time Bertha sold some of the contents of the home.
She sold the house to the R.E. Olds Company of Lansing. Representing the Olds Company, the signers of the deed were Charle Ecker, President and J. Woodward Roe, Secretary. For 74 years the Hicks Mansion was occupied by the Hicks family, and remains a family home today.
The Museum has many fine pieces of donated furniture that allow the Clinton County Historical Society to offer tours of a historic house completely furnished. There is also much Clinton County memorabilia. Each piece of furniture has its history of someone or place, plus artifacts and history on the second floor.
Window from old First Baptist Church is new addition
Window from old First Baptist Church is new addition
September 8, 2009
By Rhonda Westfall
Natural light streams through the amber-colored stained glass window that once graced the old First Baptist Church in St. Johns – a lovely sight in its new home at the Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum. The full-size window from the church that stood from 1886 to 1923 on Church Street is a welcome addition to the permanent collection of the Museum.
“We want to thank the Parr family for the donation of the window, along with Ken Warner for glass repair and Elmer Upton for the beautiful oak frame,” said Catherine Rumbaugh, director of the Museum that is located on Maple Avenue, directly west of the Clinton County Courthouse.
The window has been placed on the interior of an existing window at the Museum, allowing its natural beauty to shine once more.
“It had been stored for a number of years in a basement – it was in quite good shape,” Rumbaugh said.
Like many of the artifacts housed at the Museum, the window from the First Baptist Church is closely tied to the history of the community whose residents it served for so many years. A number of ‘firsts’ are associated with the formation of the First Baptist Church. The following information is taken from the 1980 History of Clinton County.
Elder C.A. Lamb began Baptist preaching in Clinton County in 1849. The group of Baptist believers, under the leadership of the Rev. John Gunderman, organized the First Baptist Church. Articles of Incorporation were written Nov. 2, 1855 with 14 charter members.
The first services were held in rooms above storefronts on Clinton Avenue and later on Walker Street. The members were given land through A.H. Walker by the company of men who formed St. Johns. In 1857, a church was built – the first church building constructed in St. Johns. Most of the building material was furnished by John Swegles – the namesake of the fledgling village.
Soon after the first church was finished, two young men presented themselves for baptism. Since the new church did not have a baptistry, a baptismal service was planned for Stoney Creek.
A rain storm on the night prior to the service created a natural pool of water within the village limits. At the close of the regular service, the pastor, congregation and candidates for baptism left the church to walk to the pool. The route took them by Plumstead Hall which the Presbyterians were using for services – so that congregation joined the procession to the pool to witness the first baptism ever administered in St. Johns.
Most of the early church records were lost or destroyed by fire. It is believed that the first building was burned or was moved away. In 1886, a second building was constructed on Church Street in the block that now houses the Wilson Center (formerly RBW High School).
The construction of RBW in 1923 forced the church to be relocated to the corner of State and Ottawa streets. After several remodeling programs at that location, the current church building was constructed in October 1963 at its present site on Whittemore Street (BR-127), just north of Sturgis Street in St. Johns
St. Johns Heritage Rediscovered
St. Johns Heritage Rediscovered
February 1, 2018
by Paul Dexter
As we approached St. Johns on Highway 27 in our rented Chevy Suburban, my four siblings and I remembered similar road trips from our childhood more than 60 years earlier. Back then as youngsters, we drove with our grandmother, “Granny” Ms. Robert Chauncey Dexter, from Kalamazoo to visit our great aunt, “Auntie Y” Ms. Florence Jeannette Dexter, then still living in her parents’ stately brick home at 200 Church Street, now the residence of Mr. Jon Rise. We remembered eagerly anticipating Auntie Y’s offering of piping hot Constant Comment tea with cookies, while listening to her and Granny tell stories about our St. Johns ancestors and her beloved parents, Roswell Chauncey Dexter (1859-1936) and Jeannette Paine Davies Dexter (1862-1953). R.C. Dexter was the President of the St. Johns National Bank, and his reputation as “The Dean of St. Johns Bankers” always influenced our upbringing. He was also the Senior Warden of St. Johns Episcopal Church.
This Dexter sibling road trip finally came together last summer after much juggling of busy work schedules and making flight arrangements as far away as Hawaii and Jakarta, Indonesia. Our Dexter family is widely dispersed across the world, and after our father, John Roswell Dexter (1920-2016 and the last of his generation in our family), passed away two weeks shy of his 95th birthday in December 2016, we all felt a need to reconnect with our Michigan roots. Thus we flew to Ann Arbor this fall to spread Dad’s cremated remains over Mom’s grave there and to visit our cousin Julie. We then rented a large enough vehicle to carry us and our luggage and drove to Kalamazoo to spread the rest of his remains over his parent’s graves. There strangers willingly pointed us to where we could find Grandpa Dexter’s downtown bank vault and our great uncle Ellis’ sidewalk clock on which is cast my younger brother’s middle name. Then to Grand Rapids to see the older sibling’s elementary school and Dad’s first church as organist, and finally into St. Johns to see again our Dexter and Davies ancestor’s homes, graves in the Eureka and Mount Rest Cemeteries, and churches, St. Johns Episcopal and the former Greenbush United Methodist.
So it was on a perfect fall Saturday, October 21, 2017, that we arrived at the front door of the Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum where we were warmly greeted by Jan Upton, a volunteer. She had kindly offered to open the museum especially for our visit. We also met Judy Hubler and several other local historian volunteers. All generously shared their knowledge of our Dexter and Davies ancestors and even showed us documents relating to those ancestors researched just for us. They showed us an original Davies fanning mill (a large wooden contraption that separates hulls from seeds) and a milk safe, a large wooden cupboard that kept milk cool. Both are preserved by the museum and we felt very lucky to see them. This museum does a fine job through its many exhibits showing what regular life was like in St. Johns 100+ years ago. Our visit exceeded every expectation and I think our gracious hosts were pleased to have guests with genuine family heritage interests.
We also stopped briefly to again view Auntie Y’s home, still so lovingly preserved by the Rise family, and also to briefly see the former carriage house next door at 204 Church Street, where our Great Grandmother Jeannette lived out her last years. The younger generation of that day was fascinated by her long “hearing trumpet” as Dad and Auntie Y used to tell us. Longtime homeowners there, Barbara and Cayle Beagle, greeted me and then without hesitation, offered a gift of an ancient red elephant crafted of wood and an 1890ish photograph showing Auntie Y as a small child clutching that obviously precious toy. This was a totally unexpected surprise, and I pledged to cherish the heirloom and keep it in the Dexter family. Such wonderful spontaneous generosity!
Our Davies ancestor was Great Grandmother Jeannette, who married William T. Davies on September 22, 1856. Their story reflects the hard work, integrity and strong family orientation — five Davies families settled in Greenbush Township — that was so typical of St. Johns area pioneers. Along with clearing and farming more than 300 acres in Greenbush Township, William T. and his brother Robert E. started a prosperous factory in 1855. They initially partnered with expert cabinet maker and neighbor, David Sevy (another Greenbush Township pioneer), and manufactured fanning mills and milk safes for many years on their property, selling them directly throughout the region. The Davies employed 14 factory workers by 1880, donated the land for the now former Greenbush United Methodist Church in 1898, served as various town officials and contributed liberally to the church and the life of the community.
We then visited the North Scott Road home of David and Judy Hubler which was built in 1874 by William T. Davies. The Hublers have restored and preserved most of the original features of this beautiful house and they explained how it has changed over the decades. They discovered a painted decoration on the original front door and significantly modernized the energy systems of the house. They also rebuilt the original Greenbush Fanning Mill factory building and let us turn the crank on another original, but still functioning, Davies fanning mill. Their commitment to historical preservation is impressive and the Hublers also naturally preserve the warmth and welcoming nature of their home just like the Davies established long ago. Stories of large family holiday gatherings in that Davies home are told by Auntie Y in an oral history now preserved by the Clinton County Historical Society and can be found at this link:
Florence Dexter's Oral History (and others)
Our St. Johns heritage persists in our family names — my older brother’s and my daughter’s middle name is Roswell, my first cousin’s middle name is Davies and several aunts, uncles and cousins carry Davies, William T. and Jeannette in their names. That heritage also persists in our hearts. Each of my siblings and I were truly moved by the generosity and warm hospitality that was so spontaneously offered by so many people we encountered on our road trip. That was especially true in St. Johns. As we departed back to our busy lives (business executive and musician in HI, music teacher in Jakarta, professional string quartet musician in NYC, singer in MA, and busy volunteer musician in WI), we felt, and we continue to feel, grateful and deeply privileged to have such wonderful St. Johns Heritage. We thank everyone who made that possible.
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