SPECIAL EXHIBIT — LAST CHANCE

The Marshall Steam Museum has always presented interesting artifacts since it was first opened to the public in the 1960s in addition to the Stanley steam cars and Lionel trains. A few years ago, an unexpected opportunity presented itself that resulted in profound changes to museum exhibits in that it launched the seasonal special exhibit. The special exhibit is a focus on a topic related to Auburn Heights that is presented alongside and integrated into the changing exhibit of cars and trains.

A few years ago, a collection of children’s pedal cars was made available to the Friends of Auburn Heights if it cared to display them. It was a private collection that was to be auctioned off in that fall. With nearly no preplanning, the pedal cars were placed around the Stanleys and signboards created to inform our visitors of the origin and history of pedal cars. Needless to say, the collection created a lot of interest and brought back memories of simpler times. The interest in the pedal cars brought new visitors to the museum, and as word spread, first-time visitors enjoyed their afternoon relaxing at Auburn Valley State Park. The creation of the special exhibit underscored Delaware State Park’s vision that each of the 17 state parks need to be destinations where people go to relax, learn, and enjoy their free time with family. Several of the pedal cars, through the generosity of donors, remain on display in the museum.

The following year automated musical instruments was selected as the special exhibit. The Marshalls always had music in the mansion as evidenced with the couple of mechanical music boxes displayed for house tours. Additionally, Tom and Ruth Marshall left the Friends the Marshall family’s first radio, first cylinder phonograph, first Edison Talking Machine, among other instruments, as those are displayed in the museum. Through the generosity of collectors, additional automated musical instruments were placed on display for that summer’s Special Exhibit. Antique mechanical musical instruments remain very much present in the museum, acknowledging this important aspect of life with the Marshalls a century ago.

Last year’s fashion special exhibit showcased the attire typically worn by drivers and passengers during the dawning age of the motor carriage. While Israel and Lizzy only ever rode a horse or buggy, their children were very much participants in adopting the dawning age of the motor carriage to Auburn Heights. Roads were dirt (Delaware didn’t start paving roads until 1922) and thus dusty in summer and muddy in winter. The exhibit showcased attire that would have been worn by the Marshalls when driving Delaware’s bumpy roads a century ago. Inspired by the automotive fashion exhibit, Teresa Pierce, the park’s Interpretive Programs Manager, this year has the Auburn Heights mansion docents on Steamin’ Days dressed in period appropriate attire.

The final three months of this year’s special exhibit, Bikes, Trikes, & Tandems, is upon us. It is an exhibit that informs this year’s visitors about the evolution from bicycles to automobiles. The bicycle was the personal transport vehicle from which the earliest motor-carriages of the late 1800s and early 1900s were developed. Look at any of the vintage bicycles on display and then examine the three earliest steam cars in the collection and note the use of bicycle wheels and tubular pipe frame construction forming the foundations upon which a wooden horse-carriage body was attached with large elliptical springs! Early car design very much evolved from practices and techniques used to manufacture bicycles.

This time of year, planning for next year’s special exhibit begins. Any guesses on what the theme of the 2025 special exhibit will be?

Answer
It is a little early to let the “steam out of the boiler” as has been said around Auburn Heights so until plans are finalized, we’ll keep you guessing. We will share that the 19th century adult tricycle is making a comeback in the 21st century but in an electrified form. The electric tricycle segment of the bicycle market has become the fastest growing segment as the Baby Boomer generation relives their bicycling days of youth riding tricycles which are more stable than bicycles and with the added assistance of an electric motor make scaling small grades easier for legs that have spent a lifetime walking.

As you might be wondering what you will not see at this year’s Bikes, Trikes, & Tandems special exhibit, we share an array of bicycle photographs from the internet!