Lyon County Museum

The creation of a museum in Yerington was envisioned during the local celebration of the United States Bicentennial in 1976.  In 1978 the Lyon County Museum Society purchased the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Yerington's Main Street. This building had been a Community Church in the town of Mason since 1911 and had been moved to Yerington in 1930.  Over the years, new exhibit buildings were moved to the Museum grounds and refurbished, including three one-room school houses, a general store, a blacksmith shop, and an historic gas station. In 2002, a new building devoted to exhibits on mining, railroad transportation, and local historical persons was constructed with a grant from the E.L.Wiegand Foundation. In addition, many outdoor exhibits have been added to the Museum collection over the years. The Lyon County Museum is not supported by Lyon County taxpayers and receives its funding from memberships, donations, memorials, and, most recently, profits from the Lyon County Museum Thriftstore. The Museum is operated entirely by volunteers, including a fifteen member Board of Directors, Museum tour guides, and Thrift Store workers.