Oakhurst, CA – Fresno Flats Historical Society celebrated the opening of the newly renovated Nathan Sweet Museum on Friday evening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception. More than 60 people were on hand to watch and tour the museum, including members of the Oakhurst Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, and the Visitors Bureau.
The renovation has been in the works for several years, and over the past few months, the members of the historical society have been hard at work, and the results are amazing.
“We wanted to include new exhibits on some of the groups that haven’t been represented very well in the area. Fresno Flats was a community here for like 60 years. Well, the local tribes were here for thousands of years. It’s only appropriate for us to do exhibits on the local tribes. We’ve been really excited about the help that we’ve received from the North Fork Mono tribe, the Chuckchansi, and from the southern Sierra Miwoks in Mariposa. All of them have contributed here, and we really appreciate that,” said Society President, Paul Adelizi, who spearheaded the entire project and spent many a late night working at the museum.
Some of the exhibits were just given a little touch-up, like the scale model of the buildings that were at Nelder Grove that were built by John Hawksworth, but many new displays were added, and they are all wonderful.
Displays include the aforementioned indigenous tribes, Chinese immigrants, ranching, mining, tools, weapons, and medical devices, all from the late 1800s and early 1900s. There is a small classroom, a doctor’s office, a kitchen, and an amazing display of fabrics and related tools for making clothing.
There is also a wall of photos that teaches about the prominent families and individuals who were here in the early days of Fresno Flats.
Several new touch-screen interactive displays allow visitors to see timelines, photos, maps, and more.
Hors d’oeuvres and champagne were provided for the reception, and everyone was invited to tour the museum and experience all of the wonderful new exhibits. A rummage sale was also held, with many extras that were not used in the museum project available for purchase.
The next event at Fresno Flats will be held on November 1. Drunk History of Fresno Flats will be an evening of local legends, tall tales, and spirits, candlelight tours at dusk, and live music. Event-only tickets are $10 per person. A delicious chuck wagon dinner with dessert is available for a $35 ticket, kids under 12 years of age are $15, and those under 6 are $5. The event will begin at 2 pm and end at 6 pm.
