The Mansfield Memorial Museum in downtown Mansfield is celebrating the 75th birthday of the world’s oldest surviving robot, “Elektro,” on April 19 from 1 – 4 p.m. with the cake cutting ceremony at 2 p.m.
Elektro was built at the Mansfield Westinghouse plant for the New York World’s Fair in 1939. The seven-foot tall robot was able to smoke, talk and walk. Scott Schaut, director/curator at the Mansfield Memorial Museum, made a traveling replica of Elektro, which can be rented for special events. The original stays on display at the Mansfield Memorial Museum permanently.
On April 26, the museum will open to the public for the season with both floors open for viewing.
The Mansfield Memorial Museum was founded in 1889 and is the oldest museum in Richland County. According to Schaut, “The Mansfield Memorial Museum continues to preserve the local and industrial history of this area.” The museum showcases many different parts of history including military history and one of the most incredible displays of taxidermy from the 1870s.
Schaut encourages local residents to come in and experience the diversity of the museum. He continues to look for films, photography, catalogs, and other pieces of Richland County’s industry history and welcomes donations of these items.
The museum offers visitors a chance to take a trip back to the late 1800s and view artifacts from Roman to Modern times. It has collections of history from Native American, African, Asian, Military, and Natural history. Also for those interested in Aviation history, there are nearly 600 planes represented in displays at the museum.
The Mansfield Memorial Museum will be open starting April 26 on Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays from 12 p.m.-4 p.m. Groups of 10 or more can make appointments for private tours through the weekdays by calling 419-524-9924. The price of admission for the museum is donations.
There will be additional upcoming exhibits including the walk-through exhibit “Home of Tomorrow” in May. Coming in June is the dedication of the Tom Weekly Armored Vehicle Collection, featuring over 500 military models that took 37 years to build. The vehicles are 1/35 scale and represent vehicles from WWI through Desert Storm.
For more information or a free visitors guide visit www.MansfieldTourism.com.