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Members of the museum’s all-volunteer board have written grant applications, and the museum received a nearly $150,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to develop its audience and experiment with programs and projects, Taylor said.

“It’s always the goal to push your boundaries,” Taylor said. “If you’re comfortable, you need to find a way to move forward.”

The Honolulu House, which originally cost Pratt $15,000 to construct, has cost the historical society more than $1 million over the past 50 years, VanZandt said. The society gets donations and fees from its 272 members, gifts from corporate sponsors, sales from admission and its gift shop, and holds fundraisers to continue improvements.

‘This is my hobby’

Other museums in town rely on donations — mostly from the patrons who started them.

“I think that came to play by a few individuals who live in Marshall who have that interest in history anyway, and they, in turn, saw an opportunity to showcase their own collections,” Hagerty said.

Dick Walters and Mike Schragg are two modern examples of that phenomenon.

Walters started Walters Gasoline Museum about four years ago when he decided to move his large private collection of historical items into the public eye. Located downtown behind Fountain Automotive, it is perhaps the least-known of the city’s museums, Hagerty said.

The museum is housed on the site of Walters’ family property where his father built a gas station in 1935. Among the historical curiosities are a large 1920s gas pump, gas cans and service station signs from the past. Walters’ one-room museum also boasts Marshall memorabilia such as journals, cash registers, an old military uniform and various antiques.

Walters does not accept monetary donations or entrance fees for his museum, but does accept interesting items to put on display.

“In other words, we do it for fun,” Walters said.

Those who want to see the postal museum have to meet Mike Schragg, a retired 23-year postmaster in Marshall who started the museum in the post office’s basement. It’s the second-largest postal museum in the United States, second only to the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.