A membership drive is underway at the Hayden Historical Museum.

The museum, established in August 1990, started out with just the 4,000-square-foot former chicken house to provide a place to display and share the history and heritage of Hayden and Spencer Township in Jennings County.

During the past 27 years, the organization has expanded to include the pavilion building, the old gas station, the Sullivan blacksmith shop, A Place Called Yesterday and the current project, the Edgar D. Whitcomb home.

The museum is a nonprofit organization operated solely by volunteers and relies on membership dues and donations to pay for all expenses it incurs.

Anyone who joins the museum as a new member can choose either a Hayden school print or an Edgar D. Whitcomb inauguration day button while supplies last.

Individuals who would like to pay their membership dues or make donations will be able to do so electronically through the museum PayPal account.

You can give a museum membership as a Christmas gift. Pay for three memberships and get the fourth one free.

The Hayden Spirit is the museum’s quarterly newsletter and is published in February, May, August and November. Museum members can receive the newsletter in the mail or by email. Membership levels are individual, $15; family, $20; business or organization, $25; and lifetime, $250.

The museum is open from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays and from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays. The museum also will be open by appointment by calling 812-592-8445 or emailing [email protected].

The museum’s address is Hayden Historical Museum, P.O. Box 58, Hayden, IN 47245.