2025 Exhibits
Planned Exhibits for 2025 (subject to change).
Permanent Exhibit: The Home of William Shipley and Family
~~Monthly Make and Take Crafts Available~~
Permanent Display
From 1913-1954, William Shipley and his family lived in the home that has become our museum. Learn about the residence's role in the Springfield Hospital Center campus, and how the Shipley family lived in Sykesville at the turn of the century.
photo: a touchable reed organ is on display in our parlor exhibit space, one of many touchable artifacts throughout the museum
The Postcard Boom
~~Make and Take~~
March-August 2025
1903-1915 was the "Postcard Boom" in popularity. Flip through the museum's postcard collection and learn about the history of rural mail delivery here in Sykesville as you make your own postcard.
Midcentury: Pop Culture
All Year 2025
Try out a 1950s record, see some vintage clothes, play with vintage toys, and learn about what people in Sykesville did for fun in the 1950s and 60s.
This exhibit is part of a multi-year focus exploring midcentury life here in Sykesville, and is the third focus of the series of four.
Christmas in July
July 2025
We're mixing things up this year to share our winter displays with a new audience. This includes our Midcentury display which will be festooned with an aluminum tree and tinsel (one per branch--the right way, we're told!), as well as our traditional and early 1900s decorations throughout the house.
The Great Depression in Sykesville
Summer 2025
Find out how Sykesville fared in The Great Depression (1929-1939). See photographs of residents and learn about life skills that the Shipleys and other families used to get through this difficult part of history.
Sykesville's Immigrants
Fall 2025
At the turn of the century, tensions between Americans and immigrants ran especially high. Learn about Sykesville's immigrant populations and see the stories behind James Sykes, John Harris, and other immigrants to our Town in the early 1900s
Photograph: Portrait of James Sykes, property of the Historical Society of Carroll County
Image courtesy of the Historical Society of Carroll County.
Building a Name: Wade Warfield in Today's Sykesville
Fall 2025
You may have passed the Warfield building or the Wade H.D. Warfield building in downtown Sykesville and wondered who exactly that is, and why his name is on two buildings here. Come in and find out!
WWII: Civil Defense and Victory Corps
March-June 2025
View a small selection of World War II objects from our Civil Defense collection. A much larger exhibit of these objects is planned for 2026.