Orange Regional Museum's local history exhibition 'Inherit: old and new histories' showcases objects and stories from across the Central West.
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Several of the objects are from the museum's own collections, but such a rich and diverse exhibition would not have been possible without the assistance of the many wonderful volunteer-run museums and historical societies throughout the region.
One of these museums is the Carcoar Hospital Museum, whose fascinating collections are held in the original hospital building, the foundation stone of which was laid by local landowner Thomas Icely on this day in 1860.
The ceremony to mark the laying of the foundation stone was reported by a The Sydney Morning Herald correspondent on March 5, 1860, and picked up by local paper the Bathurst Free Press two days later.
In his speech, Icely 'remarked upon the pleasure it gave him to see the commencement of the building, which is so badly wanted in this rising district'.
Carcoar was indeed a rising district in the 1850s and 1860s.
Its population was the greatest of any inland settlement after Bathurst.
A hospital was much-needed and the commencement of construction was the culmination of more than two years of planning by the Carcoar Hospital and Benevolent Society, which ran a temporary facility in rented accommodation during the time.
Proving the need for a larger hospital, the temporary facilities were full almost from the start.
Completed in 1861 to a design by eminent Bathurst-based architect Edward Gell, the Carcoar Hospital served the community for more than 120 years, offering employment opportunities for women and providing access to healthcare for the surrounding villages of Lyndhurst, Mandurama, Barry and Neville.
It stands today as one of the oldest surviving hospital buildings in NSW.
You can discover fascinating objects from the Carcoar Hospital Museum and many other local collections in Orange Regional Museum's 'Inherit' exhibition.
A standout is a pair of children's tinted glasses from the turn of the last century.
Used to alleviate a comm on symptom of measles and rubella - eye complications causing extreme light sensitivity - they speak to childhood experiences, medical advancement and the prevalence of often-deadly childhood diseases during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The Orange Regional Museum, located at 151 Byng Street, Orange, is open from 9am to 4pm daily.
Entry to the museum is free. For more information, visit the museum's website.
You can also visit the Carcoar Hospital Museum, open Thursdays between 11am and 3pm, or call the friendly volunteers to find out other times.
