1 of 9
Dennis Begin photos
2 of 9
Dennis Begin photos
Babcock/Wilcox house
3 of 9
Dennis Begin photos
Candlelight Wedding Chapel
4 of 9
Dennis Begin photos
5 of 9
Dennis Begin photos
6 of 9
Dennis Begin photos
7 of 9
Dennis Begin photos
Dennis Begin (left) with Mark P. Hall-Patton
8 of 9
Dennis Begin photos
Giles/Barcus House
9 of 9
Dennis Begin photos
1930's house & 1948 trailer.
Story & photos by Dennis Begin
The purpose of any museum is to educate and entertain while, at the same time, preserve the artifacts for future generations. Although Las Vegas is known as the ‘Disneyland for Adults’ with no shortage of entertainment on The Strip, there are other alternatives for entertainment such as the Clark County Museum in nearby Henderson.
The Beard of Knowledge
Mark P. Hall-Patton, is the Museum Curator (Museologist) and Administrator of the Clark County Museum. He is better known as the history expert (Authenticatist) on the ‘Pawn Stars’, the No. 1 reality show on television. His trademarks are his beard, red shirt and an authentic wide-brimmed Amish hat. Since Mark made his first appearance on Pawn Stars in July 2009, ‘The Beard of Knowledge’ has made over fifty appearances, making him a national celebrity. Mark’s task is to determine the authenticity of items, from a Soviet ICBM launch key to American Civil War guns and various military uniforms. The result of his involvement with the show is that attendance at the Clark County Museum has increased by 73% or 35,827 visitors per year. Mark is also Administrator of two other museums, the Howard Cannon Aviation Museum and the Searchlight Museum, but it is the Clark County Museum with one million artifacts, which continues to attract tourist.
The Museum
On my first visit to the museum, which is spread out over 30 acres, there were many exhibits, which caught my eye. The main building is a pueblo-style building housing the Anna Robert Parks Exhibit Hall. This building features an interesting timeline of Southern Nevada history including native history, American exploration, mining and ranching and early Las Vegas history. There is, of course, an exhibit dealing with early gaming equipment and casinos such as the El Ranch Hotel, the Stardust, the Sands, the Moulin Rouge and the Dunes.
Outside the main building are several exhibits including a 1918 Union Pacific steam train, Boulder City Depot, Grand Canyon Ticket Office, ghost mining town and equipment, a Paiute Indian camp and a Mojave Desert Nature Trail.
It was Heritage Street, however, which piqued my interest.
Heritage Street of Historic Homes
Heritage Street brought me back to the museum for a second visit. If you have ever viewed ‘The Andy Griffith Show’, Heritage Street is Mayberry, North Carolina, with the beautiful trees, white picket fences and heritage homes. The only thing missing is Opie with his fishing pole.
There are eight historical buildings, five of which illustrate homes from the 1920’s through to the 1950’s. This Heritage Street is a modern day time capsule. The houses include: 1. Goumond House – 1931, 2. Beckley House – 1912, 3. Giles/Barcus House - 1924, 4. Babcock/Wilcox House – 1933, 5. Henderson Townsite House – 1941. These structures, relocated and restored from various parts of Nevada, depict modern American architect from the Tudor revival style to California bungalows. Each house is very unique, different and represents a decade. For example, the Giles/Barcus House of 1924 is a typical one-room mining boomtown house complete with an indoor bathroom. The Henderson Townsite House is typical of the Second World War era, when houses were built for the war effort and only meant to last the duration of the war. The Goumond House, glamorous for its time, was a home for the wealthy. Future plans for Heritage Street includes a house from the 1960’s.
Each house has its own history with individual rooms decorated to reflect that time period. Museum staff even change the plastic food on the counter to correspond with the season of the year. Look into the kitchen and you are transported back to the kitchen of your parents/grandparents. There is a rare icebox or the first Philco refrigerator, a pink Maytag washing machine, a mix master, coloured Pyrex bowls and a gas range. In the living room, there is a flowered chesterfield, throw rugs, china figurines, record player, radio, black rotary telephone and the first cabinet TV. Listen to the comments as visitors recall fondly “…childhood memories and the good ‘ole days”.
Candlelight Wedding Chapel
Not far off Heritage Street is The Candlelight Wedding Chapel. The chapel, originally located on The Strip, was relocated to the museum in 2007. Celebrities such as Michael Caine, Bette Midler and Whoopi Goldberg were actually married in this chapel. A world record was set on Valentine’s Day in 1987 when 425 weddings were held in the chapel over a 24-hour period. That is a ceremony every three and one half minutes!
Mobile America
Heritage Street also displays ‘Mobile America’. Beginning in the 1930’s, Americans started to travel across their country, along highways such as Route 66. What these first tourists needed were restaurants, service stations, motor courts/motels to help explore America. The next development was the family trailer, resulting in the 1948 Spartanette Trailer made by Spartan Aircraft Corporation. The car pulling the trailer was probably a 1946 Plymouth Special Deluxe Two Door Coup. America was now on wheels and into RV’ing.
There is no shortage of entertainment in Las Vegas. Take an afternoon and spend a few hours at the Clark County Museum on Boulder Highway. The $2 entry fee will probably be the most enjoyable money that you spend in Vegas.