It’s almost here – a cutting-edge facility designed to shine a light on McDonough and Henry County for generations to come.

The C.O. Polk Interactive Museum, at 34 John Frank Ward Blvd., in McDonough, is being filled with exhibits in anticipation of its opening in 2019. The facility will showcase objects and artifacts depicting the history of McDonough and Henry County, said Museum Planner Mark Walhimer.

He said the museum is expected to employ the latest in technological advancements as a vehicle for telling the history of McDonough and Henry County.

“I don’t know of any other museums that are using this model,” said Walhimer. “It’s 100-percent digital. The idea is that if you donate an object to the museum, the object will be photographed, digitized, and we can do a 3D print of the object.

“Part of it is also thinking about history museums differently,” he continued. “You can look online and see objects. If you have a 3D printer, you can print them off. You can also come here and print objects here. There will be a 3D printer. Objects that are in the collection can be 3D-printed here in the museum.”

Walhimer and his team are seeking items that could be used in the museum. They are interested in gifts and loans of items and photographs such as those related to: the Muscogee (Creek) Nation; the Revolutionary War era; the county’s namesake, Patrick Henry; the history of McDonough; and the Camp Creek Train Wreck of 1900.

Police badges, fireman badges, and other items worn by city employees over the years are also being sought for inclusion at the museum. Walhimer said paintings and photos related to artist Jean Charlot, who created a piece of art that is housed at the Polk Building, are also being sought for use at the museum.

One particular example of technology that will be used at the museum centers on one of its most notable residents. Walhimer said visitors to the facility will be able to take a virtual tour of the area, courtesy of a hologram of McDonough Mayor Billy Copeland.

“We are going to videotape him   doing one of those tours, then we are going to digitize it, and there will be a hologram of him giving a tour,” said Walhimer. “He is a wealth of knowledge about this area. We want to capture the history the mayor knows and share that with more people who can go on the walking tour.

“The mayor’s a very humble person,” added Walhimer. “He would never think of this as a museum about him or for him. He wants to share it with people and share how proud he is of the area. This is about having McDonough in your heart.”

Mayor Copeland visited the museum site last week to get the latest on the project’s progress. He said some details have not been finalized regarding the tours that will be available through the venue, but that he is impressed with Walhimer’s plans for the museum.

Copeland said the “high-tech” facility will be a “focal point” for the city in the years to come.

“I was blown away by what he has accomplished,” said Copeland of Walhimer. “It is so complicated for me to hear what Mark’s talking about. It’s way beyond my pay grade. It’s so attractive and so well-designed. I don’t know where we could have found anyone any better than Mark to put it together. I don’t think there’s going to be anything like it anywhere around.”

The Polk Museum will also feature a mural by artist Jean Charlot. Walhimer added that the museum will serve as a way to conserve the mural while also preserving the history of the area.

“Everyone is thinking of this as a community resource for the residents of McDonough,” said Walhimer. “Of course, we hope people visiting the area will also visit the museum, but we hope this will become a sort of hub for the McDonough community.”

Walhimer said the museum will be an opportunity to tap into a sense of community among longtime residents of McDonough and Henry County.

“People act differently here because of the pride in the area,” he said. “The hope is that people moving to the area change to become more like the people of McDonough.”

In preparation for the museum’s opening, Walhimer said he has met with church leaders, children, teachers, Boy Scouts and other organizations to make sure that it is “a place for everybody.” To this point, the feedback he has received has been positive.

“So far, everybody has said they’ve never seen anything like this in McDonough before,” said Walhimer.

Although there is no firm target opening date for the museum yet, Walhimer expects the facility to be operational in early 2019.