Gwinnett Daily Post

WINDER - For those with mental relics of the late C. Fred Ingram - a community relic himself - the Barrow County Museum wants to hear from you.

Entwined in the museum's grand reopening next month are plans for a display that pays homage to Ingram, a Barrow dignitary known as a passionate teacher of more than four decades and the museum's former curator.

To pull off a sufficient tribute, museum leaders are asking members of the public who may have known Ingram - those who studied under him, sat in church beside him or simply brushed shoulders once or twice - to contribute written memories to a planned display book.

Written recollections of Ingram's impact can be dropped off at the museum (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays) or mailed in, said Barrow County Historical Society trustee Beth Barton.

"We'd like to have a book as part of his display with memories from some of the people who thought so much of 'Mr. C. Fred,'" Barton said.

Otherwise, museum leaders on are track to unveil the West Athens Street institution's overhaul to the public Saturday, Barton said. The museum redo includes displays that document Barrow's earliest settlers, its rich agricultural heritage as well as its lineage of sheriffs and notable doctors.

The reopening - an eclectic gathering of blacksmiths, artisans, pork rind aficionados and many other demonstrators - is planned to complement the famed Winder Christmas Parade and subsequent hoopla next month.

"All rooms (in the museum) have been rearranged and organized, and it's looking quite spiffy," Barton said. "It's shaping up to be a big event."

SideBar: If You Go

What: Grand reopening of Barrow County Museum

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday

Where: Barrow County Museum, 74 W. Athens St., Winder

Cost: Free

For more information: Call Barrow County Historical Society trustee Beth Barton at 770-868-7573. Mail entries for the Ingram museum display to The Barrow County Historical Society (attn: C. Fred) P.O. Box 277, Winder, GA 30680.