A recent grant from The Charley and Emilie Graham Museum Fund via Inland Empire Community Foundation is cause for celebration for the Palo Verde Historical Museum and Society (PVHMS).
“Every dime that we get helps us meet our expenses every year,” said Marilee Harkinson, former PVHSM board member. “We run around $5,000 a year, so this grant is a great help for that.”
Based in Blythe, the museum was founded in 1980. It displays a variety of significant artifacts and memorabilia related to the history of the Palo Verde Valley and the surrounding areas, “collecting, preserving, and displaying” them.
“We are strictly local,” Harkinson said of the organization, which is run by a board of several local directors. It is entirely funded by donations.
Harkinson is quick to praise the grant via The Charley and Emilie Graham Museum Fund.
“The Grahams were instrumental in helping the museum in its early years,” she said. “They have a long history with the museum, and we were very lucky to have them as volunteers as long as we did.”
“I have to say something about Charley and Emily Graham, and their children, Dick and Nancy,” she added, recalling the organization’s colorful history. “On school tours, they dressed in early-1900 clothing and took the students through the history. Charley was on our board for a long time, and he was head of the committee to fund a new building for us.”
As it turned out, the museum didn’t need it because one had been donated.
“My parents donated a bank, which converted to a museum,” Harkinson said of the 1950s-style structure at 150 N. Broadway in Blythe.
Harkinson has been affiliated with the museum for more than 40 years. She was on the board and served as the treasurer at one point, but she didn’t actually “work” in the museum until she retired 12 years ago.
“I volunteer down there a couple of times a week and I’m in charge of setting up the schedules,” she added.
In February each year, the museum hosts a festive open house featuring a mix of meet-and-greets, history refreshers, and even a free hot dog lunch.
“We also have classic cars lined up outside the museum for people to look at,” Harkinson added. “More than a hundred people come in on that Saturday, and most of them are local. There is always a group of people who are astounded because they didn’t know we were here. But here we are.”
When asked what she loved most about being a part of the organization and the museum, Harkinson circled back to the area’s history.
“I’ve loved learning about the local history and being able to teach it to other people,” she said. “We often do school tours for third graders, taking about 60 of them at a time through everything. One of the biggest things they’re fascinated by is the meteorite we have on display.”
Each student gets a chance to hold the object, in fact, which is approximately five inches by four inches.
“We also have a Victrola that I play for the students, and they can hardly believe that was the way people listened to music,” Harkinson added, chuckling.
The museum is closed for the summer but reopens for “Homecoming Weekend,” the third weekend in October. The reopening event begins on a Friday with an open house and a golf tournament. The rest of the weekend is sprinkled with a mix of history classes, luncheons, and a large dinner celebration out at the region’s fairgrounds.
In the meantime, donations are always welcome to ensure the preservation of the region’s rich history.
Learn more about the Palo Verde Historical Museum and Society by visiting its Facebook page.
This story originally appeared in the Desert Sun, July 2025.
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