MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — Although the Marx Toy Museum’s run in Moundsville will soon come to an end, curator Francis Turner believes the change will be a fresh start for the site’s beloved artifacts of playtimes past.
The museum, which Turner began with his personal toy collection in 2001, will open its doors to the public for the last time from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday. Turner’s mission began in 1998, when he purchased a 1950s grocery store building on Second Street and spent the next two years remodeling the building.
In 2011, Turner registered the museum as a nonprofit organization complete with a board of directors. Later in the year, the Marx Toy Museum took over operation of The Official Marx Toy Museum of Glen Dale.
Following the public closing of the museum, Turner plans to have the toys displayed in various museums throughout the country…