CENTERVILLE—after spending more than a year with its doors shuttered, the Whitaker Museum will reopen on Aug. 3. Museum officials are excited to welcome visitors, begin scheduling tours and debut their new outside audiovisual tour, which is available 24/7. The museum has received a grant from Utah State Preservation and RAP to restore its summer kitchen which is expected to be complete in August.

The museum will be open on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. year-round; tours will be conducted as needed.

Located at 168 South Main, the historic home was purchased by the city in 1994 to house and display artifacts from throughout the city, to provide educational programming and to give local residents the opportunity to view and display the local history of the community.  

According to its mission statement, “‘The Whitaker’ Centerville’s Heritage Museum tells Centerville’s story, teaches traditional values, creates links between past and present, and cultivates pride in our rich heritage. This vision of the Whitaker Museum and Museum Board is to use the power of history to enhance lives and to maximize the power of personal and community stories and shared history to enrich and enhance lives.” 

The Whitaker Museum building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 28, 1996. It was placed on the Centerville Historic Landmark Register in 1997.

The museum’s monthly “Keeping Our Stories Alive” series which is generally held the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at City Hall resumed in July. This free event is open to those 12 and older.

Upcoming presentations include:

Aug. 10

Motor Tales – Utah National Parks by automobile: Celebrating national parks tourism by early automobiles of the 1900s; John Clarke, presenter

Sept. 14

Lucin/Great Salt Lake Cutoff: A story not to be forgotten 

Presenter: Beau Burgess, director/curator, Historical Museum and collection, Fort Douglas

Oct. 12

Haunting at the Whitaker: yarns and tales from the past presented by local storytellers. Free for all ages.

Location: Whitaker Museum

The museum is open to the public every week except the weeks of Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. Call (801) 335-8843 for more information or to make reservations for group tours of the museum. The museum is not available for private rental.