People from near and far have often said that visiting the 1811 Lincoln County Museum and Old Jail in Wiscasset is like stepping into the past. Its curator, the Lincoln County Historical Association, is planning to fast forward a bit with a new summer exhibit featuring artifacts from the first 50 years of the 20th century.

LCHA President Edward Kavanagh said the new exhibit is a bit of a change but one he and his steering committee believe will attract visitors of all ages to the museum, which is located at the upper end of Federal Street. The plan is to exhibit items of all shapes and sizes from the years spanning 1900 to 1950.

“This is the first time, at least to my knowledge, that we’ve ever done an exhibit of this nature,” Kavanagh said. “We’re really hoping that when it opens in June, it will generate a lot of interest.”

The first half of the 20th century gave us many new inventions. Among these were the automobile, airplane, electric light bulb, telephone, radio and motion pictures, to name just a few. Three stars were added to the American flag, representing the new states of Oklahoma, New Mexico and Arizona. In 1920 women won the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment. There were two World Wars to contend with as well as a Great Depression and Prohibition.

“I think some of the things we’ve come up will kind of surprise people,” Kavanagh added. One item will be an early “icebox” from Kavanagh’s own collection of antique appliances. Used in the days before refrigeration, iceboxes, or “cold closets” as their name suggests, held a block of ice to keep food from spoiling. No kitchen would have been without one in the 1920s. In fact, the winter ice used in them was harvested from a number of places locally including Holbrook’s Pond just south of the Wiscasset town office.

The museum has a vast collection of tools and farming implements. They also recently acquired a steel helmet from World War I and hope to have an original Army uniform worn by a “Doughboy.” That’s a nickname for an American soldier who fought in France during the war.

Bill Sutter, Bill Danielson and Bill Gimmelare helping Kavanagh in planning the exhibit.

“We have a pretty good collection already and are hoping that the Maine State Museum in Augusta will be willing to loan us some other artifacts as well,” Kavanagh said. Recently, LCHA was the recipient of 35-framed historical photographs of Wiscasset homes that will be part of the display.

The new exhibit will run from the first week of June to the first week of October. The Museum and Old Jail is open Saturday and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m.; admission is $5 per adult, children under 16 are admitted free. Admission is also free to LCHA members. To learn more about becoming a member, go to: www.lincolncountyhistory.org.

LCHA is a nonprofit organization founded in 1954. Along with the Museum and Old Jail, they maintain the 1761 Pownalborough Court House in Dresden and 1754 Chapman-Hall House in Damariscotta. Volunteers and new memberships are always welcome. For more information, call Edward Kavanagh at 207-882-4393.