Merrill Transit Authority is preparing to celebrate the 125th anniversary of public transportation in Merrill which will take place in 2015. One of the activities that is being planned is an exhibit at the Merrill Historical Society History and Culture Center called “Merrill Transit 125: The History of Public Transportation in Merrill as told through 125 artifacts.” Help is needed to locate and borrow additional memorabilia from days past that can be used to tell the story of the trolleys and buses in Merrill’s history.
“We would like to see old uniforms, tokens, time tables, or pay stubs from drivers or conductors. Photos, especially from the bus days before the Merrill-Go-Round, are also very welcome. If it has to do with the trolley or the buses and it’s interesting to you, it will probably be interesting to others, so please bring it in to share during this exhibit,” says Rich Grenfell, MTA director. “We’d also like to hear stories you have about things that happened while riding the trolley or bus.”
The artifacts on loan to Merrill Transit Authority and Merrill Historical Society will be used to create the Merrill Transit 125 exhibit which will run from May 13 to Sept. 30, 2015. All artifacts used in the exhibit will also be photographed for inclusion in an exhibit handbook where credit will be given to those who provided the article. Following the completion of the exhibit, artifacts will be returned, or can become part of the Historical Society collection if desired.
If you have artifacts or photos you would like to contribute for use in this exhibit, please bring them to Merrill Historical Society History and Culture Center, 100 E. Third St., on Saturday, Oct. 18, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Historical Society volunteers will be on hand to track the articles and gather the historical significance of the your objects. If you are unable to come on the 18th, please call the Historical Society at 715-536-5652 to set up an appointment.