Formally established in 1954, the Lyon County Historical Society (LCHS) collects, preserves, and shares stories of Lyon County’s past through meaningful exhibits and education at the Lyon County Museum in Marshall.
In 1957, LCHS created a museum within a Great Northern Railroad baggage coach located alongside the Lyon County Courthouse. When this coach was damaged by a storm in the mid-1960s, the artifacts were moved to the basement of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Tracy and the Lyon County Fairgrounds. In 1968, exhibits were created in the lower level of the Marshall-Lyon County Library. Eventually, forced to leave the library, exhibits were dismantled and moved to private homes in Tracy for further storage.
In 1975, the Society was given the original 1892 Lyon County courtroom to use as a museum. In 1994, the Society moved once again due to the county’s decision to demolish the 1892 courthouse. The museum moved to the Knights of Columbus building on 3rd St. in Marshall. The museum remained in this location until moving to a different location on Main St. in 2009.
In 2012, the Lyon County Board of Commissioners purchased the former Marshall-Lyon County Library building for the historical society. The former library building is now the home of the Lyon County Museum.