Historical Society Re-Opens Rentschler Farm Museum, Railroad Museum Saturday

The Saline Area Historical Society will have a grand reopening of the Rentschler Farm Museum on Saturday.  The Historical Society will be celebrating the completion of the restoration of the large red barn that was made possible by a grant from Motor Cities National Heritage Area.

The mission of the Motor Cities National Heritage Area is focused on raising awareness and understanding about the impact of the automobile on this region with emphasis on increasing tourism, expanding education and encouraging revitalization.  The Rentschler Farm, located at 1265 E. Michigan Ave., also known as U. S. 12, a national heritage trail, was impacted by the automobile and trucking.  The automobile and trucks were gave farms the ability to successfully move their food and crops to markets beyond the local area.  The Rentschler Farm Museum interprets the 1930s era when it was vitally important to distribute food crops to larger cities where hunger was so prevalent during the depression. 

The Rentschler Farm Museum will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 7 and continue to be open for tours every Saturday through Dec. 11.  

On May 7, the society is suggesting visitors may want to help with spring cleaning at the farm. Spring clean up was a major farming ritual to ready the garden and clean the barn after a long hard winter. Bring a rake, a broom, window washing stuff, or a bag or two to pick up rash along the fence lines as Society volunteers will spruce up the outbuildings and yard.

House and Farm Guides will be on hand for those who prefer to take a tour.  Animals should be back from their winter homes. The Gift Shop will be open for browsing and shopping. There is limited parking within the farm grounds.

The Saline Railroad Depot Museum will also be open on Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is also maintained by the Saline Area Historical Society.

During regular hours, free guided tours for individuals and for families are available at either museum. Ask to see the Gift Shop and Salvage Barn at the farm. Groups larger than ten must have a reservation and there is a small fee of $1 per person with a $50 minimum, payable at the time of scheduling. Groups must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance.  Contact the Farm Museum at 734-944-0442.

New officers of the Society were elected at the annual meeting in March.  They are: Dean Greb, President, and Dave Rhoads, Vice-President. Ruth Garrison and Agnes Dikeman will continue as Secretary and Treasurer respectively.