This is the first in a series of monthly articles from The Stawell Historical Society.
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Our society is located at 44-46 Longfield Street (Western Highway) and consists of The Stewart Bradley Research Centre which was made possible with a generous bequest of $100,000 from Stewart Bradley, himself an old Stawellite.
It also includes the museum which is housed in The Old Pleasant Creek Courthouse, part of The Pleasant Creek Historical Precinct.
The Pleasant Creek Courthouse was built in 1860 and served as the main courthouse in the Wimmera at that time.
The Police Magistrate lived in a purpose-built house at the rear on Leslie Street.
The courthouse served as the Mine Wardens Court.
The society is run by a dedicated team of volunteers with a wide range of knowledge on Stawell and the surrounding districts who aim to preserve, promote and share the history of Stawell and districts.
The museum regularly exhibits objects and memorabilia that have been donated and collected over many years.
It is fully accredited through Museums Australia (Victoria) and among the many items we house are records on local families, industries, activities, gold mining and schools and we are always happy to assist our community with research.
Stawell Historical Society was formed in 1962 and after a quiet time, reformed in 1965.
The permanent location was established in 1982 in the Old Courthouse.
The Stewart Bradley Research Centre was officially opened on April 21, 2016 and includes a temperature-controlled storage room for our old newspapers dating back to 1858.
In addition, we hold approximately 4000 historical photos and many other catalogued items of historical interest.
The museum holds various exhibitions throughout the year and includes areas such as gold mining, clothing, HMAS Stawell, local Aboriginal artefacts, photographs and many other items.
Do you have an interest in the preservation of the history of Stawell and districts?
We always welcome new members and visitors.
Are you interested in volunteering half-a-day or one day a week? Please come and talk to one of our members about the opportunities.
We also strongly encourage school and community groups to visit and share in the experience of celebrating Stawell’s past and its influence on the present.
Maybe you or someone in your family has a story to share.
You can visit us on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 4pm, so please call in or we can be contacted on 5358 3789 or email stawhist@bigpond.