Jefferson Valley Museum Offers Free Appraisal Program

The Jefferson Valley Museum will hold its first of two information/appraisal programs on Saturday, June 10th at the Jefferson Valley Museum, located at 303 South Division in Whitehall. The second will be on September 9th, details provided later this summer. The June 10th program will focus on antique firearms from the 18th and 19th centuries. Those who have firearms from these two centuries are welcome to bring them to the museum and visit with Christopher J. Schmidt between 10 AM and 2 PM on the 10th. Each information/appraisal session will be 15 minutes and visitors are asked to bring no more than three unloaded antique firearms. Visits with Mr. Schmidt will be on a first-come-first-served basis. The museum will be open from 10 AM to 4 PM on this day only.

Mr. Schmidt is a retired geology professor who spent most of his career studying the mountains of Southwest Montana and when not being a geologist, he spent countless hours restoring 18th and 19th century firearms. With more than 50 years of experience in antique firearm restoration, Mr. Schmidt was an excellent choice for this free program to help people in the Jefferson Valley and surrounding areas learn about their centuries-old firearms.

While the program is free, a donation of $5 is encouraged. The Jefferson Valley Museum operates solely on donations, memberships, and grants. All museum staff and board members are volunteers.

The museum will be open through September 15th on Tuesday through Sunday from Noon to 4 PM.

The office is open on most Monday afternoons from 1 PM to 4 PM. Besides being a great place to view artifacts from the past, the museum is a resource for genealogy and document research or to relax in the new reading nook to peruse some of the old books. Group tours can be arranged if scheduled at least one week in advance. To view dozens of historic photos, visit the Jefferson Valley Museum Facebook page and for other museum information and forms, visit the website at jeffersonvalleymuseum.org.