As the community loses older generations, with them goes part of history, which is important to the Poplarville Historical Preservation Society and its president, Joan Bassett.
The society’s purpose is to preserve the community’s history pre-1960, promote its former residents and keep the rich history alive by maintaining a museum featuring items that tell the community’s history, Bassett said. However, last year the museum was infested with termites, forcing the Historical Preservation Society and the city of Poplarville’s Board of Aldermen to renovate the entire building.
“The reason we started the museum was because the older people were passing away and with them went the history of the area. We want to educate the next generations and keep the history alive through our exhibits in the museum,” she said. “It’s something that needs to be done now because the ones that know everything about our history are passing away.”
Friday and Saturday, the society will host a fundraising yard/estate sale in an effort to defray the cost to renovate the museum. Bassett said the estimate to conduct those repairs is $4,000.
Bassett said everything in the museum must be renovated, including the electrical, wood, paint, floors and dry wall.
At the yard/estate sale, items from furniture to toys will be available for purchase. All proceeds will go toward the renovation, she said.
“Every donation is a huge help to us and the entire community. Everything we are selling is at a reasonable price and we ask that because the money is going to a good cause that people pay the ticket price,” she said.
Bassett said they will only accept cash.
The event will take place at the Poplarville Historical Preservation Society museum at 101 North Main St., across from Hall’s Service Station, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
“If we don’t save our community’s history now, it will be gone forever,” Bassett said.