STARKVILLE — The late entrepreneur George Evans made a career shining shoes.

Through the George Evans Shine Parlor, people came from all over to have their shoes shined at the well-known shop, Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum volunteer Joan Wilson said. Shown on display at the Heritage Museum is Evans’ shoe shining station and the store’s sign that were fixtures of Starkville commerce for decades before Evans passed away in 1980.

“One guy came into the museum one time and wanted his picture taken in the George Evans shoe shining chair,” Wilson said. “He had always been shining shoes and never had gotten to sit in the chair, so exhibits like these can be very special to people.”

The Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum is on its way to offering even more opportunities to share the county’s history.

The museum, located at 206 Fellowship St. in Starkville, features memorabilia of Oktibbeha County residents who were prominent in sports, medicine, pop culture and innovation, such as a display of Mayor Lynn Spruill and her feat of being the first woman to land an airplane on an aircraft carrier. Wilson said the Heritage Museum shows not only the community, but all those who come to visit, the uniqueness of Starkville through its exhibits and programming.

“I think it would be very erroneous to let the history of this county be forgotten,” Wilson said.

Museum Board of Trustees Chair Cory Gallo said the museum is looking to expand not only its financial resources but also exhibits. He said the board is trying to identify various funding options to potentially hire a part-time employee and find ways to have active programming with visitors.

Gallo said the museum is an “attic” for the community at Friday’s Starkville Board of Aldermen work session. The museum is more than a collection, he said, but a valuable resource for residents and visitors alike.

“There are a lot of families who have entrusted their treasures to us to hold, to keep, to display, to share a story of their families to the community,” Gallo said. “If you come in, you’ll see the care that’s gone into that.”

Built during the 1970s, the Heritage Museum is run completely by volunteers. Gallo said these dedicated volunteers are nearing the third generation of citizens who have been involved in maintaining the museum’s legacy.

Because of the limited number of volunteers, the museum is open Tuesday through Thursday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Gallo said he would like to expand the museum’s operating hours in the future, potentially opening up on game day weekends.

“There are so many people that come to visit and say, ‘My grandfather or my uncle’s helmet is in the museum,’” Gallo said.

Wilson said groups and individuals often come to the museum for a variety of reasons. One Starkville native, a Mississippi School of Mathematics and Science student, visited the museum Tuesday to find information about Oktibbeha County residents who fought in World War II to aid his project on WWII casualties.

Over the past few years, the museum board has created programming to engage the community, including programs involving retirees, genealogy and Cub Scouts. Gallo said the Heritage Museum tries to plan two special exhibits per year, with the current exhibit highlighting The Cotton District developer Dan Camp.

The Heritage Museum board is made up of four representatives from the city and four from the county, each overseeing a particular aspect of the museum.
Gallo said he would like to hire a part-staff member in the future to assist with management.

“We realize with volunteers, it’s never going to be consistent until we get there,” Gallo said. “We want to be thought of in a similar vein as the library as a resource.”

The Heritage Museum functions on a $16,000 to $18,000 budget with $5,000 each funded by the city and county and the rest from the nonprofit organization, Friends of the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum.

The museum board has also created an internship program for Mississippi State University students to help maintain the museum’s history and assist in operation. The current student intern has created signage and labels for several artifacts throughout the building, Gallo said.

“(Students) are helpful,” Gallo said. “When we work with them, we say, ‘Your job is to get other people here.’”

Ward 2 Alderman Sandra Sistrunk said she believes everyone should visit the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum to see the culture of the city and county.

“If we don’t know where we are from, it is sometimes hard to figure out where we are going to go,” Sistrunk said. “I think it’s important that we know our history.”

Wilson, who did not grow up in Starkville but moved to the city as an adult, said being a volunteer for several years has allowed her to understand what makes Oktibbeha County a special place, a reason why she believes everybody should visit the Heritage Museum at least once in their lives.

“I have met people I never would have met by being a volunteer here,” Wilson said. “I have such a connection to Starkville and the county.”