Armidale Folk Museum has welcomed back visitors this month and is exhibiting two new displays following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
The new displays, Home Is Where Your Heart Is and A Helping Hand, respond to recent world events and the impact of COVID-19.
Armidale Folk Museum Team Leader Hayley Ward said the museum is welcoming visitors to spend time viewing the permanent displays as well as enjoy the changing exhibition program.
"A doll house was recently donated to the museum and symbolises the amount of time many of us have spent in the home during the global pandemic. The display is a diminutive version of a 1950s house made in Germany and really inspires a sense of domesticity and nostalgia," Ms Ward said.
The doll house, recently donated to the museum by a local resident, contains miniature furniture and a collection of small dolls.
The second exhibition, A Helping Hand, tells the story of two early organisations set up to protect and care for their members and communities at a time when there was no welfare state or national health service.
"The Independent Order of Oddfellows Manchester Unity Friendly Society and the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes had lodges in Hillgrove and Armidale from the late 1800s," Ms Ward said.
"Both organisations were first established in England but are now found throughout the world."
The museum has resumed normal operating hours with COVID-9 safety measures in place.
The museum is a large space with ample room for social distancing and additional safety measures have been implemented to ensure the safety of customers and staff.
"We are following NSW Government public health orders and restricting attendance and frequently sanitising surfaces," Ms Ward said.
If you've recently had a clean out at home and have discovered some historical items that tell the story of our region's history and you are interested in donating them, please contact the Armidale Folk Museum on 6770 3836.
The Armidale Folk Museum is open daily from 11am to 2pm at 124 Faulkner Street, Armidale. Entry is by donation.
