The McGill Drug Store Museum is a former
drug store
A pharmacy (also called "drugstore" in American English or "community pharmacy" or "chemist" in Commonwealth English, or rarely, apothecary) is a retail shop which provides pharmaceutical drugs, among other products. At the pharmacy, a pharmacis ...
in
McGill, Nevada
McGill is a census-designated place (CDP) in White Pine County, Nevada, United States. The population was 1,148 at the 2010 census.
History
In 1872, John Cowger established a ranch in the Steptoe Valley and acquired the water rights for the area ...
. It operated from 1915 to 1979. The store closed when the nearby
Kennecott Copper mine closed down, with its entire inventory intact, including
prescription medication
A prescription drug (also prescription medication or prescription medicine) is a pharmaceutical drug that legally requires a medical prescription to be dispensed. In contrast, over-the-counter drugs can be obtained without a prescription. The rea ...
. It has been re-opened as a museum with more than 30,000 items as well as prescription records extending back to 1915. The museum is a resource for investigators of retailing and historical pharmacy practices.
History
The museum was originally a drug store owned by the McGill Drug Company, who may have acquired the structure from another business, Steptoe Drug Company. Although the place primarily serves as a drugstore and pharmacy, it is also notable for its
soda fountain
A soda fountain is a device that dispenses carbonated soft drinks, called fountain drinks. They can be found in restaurants, concession stands and other locations such as convenience stores. The device combines flavored syrup or syrup concent ...
, which remains in existence until now.
The drug store became a museum in 1995, when the
White Pine County bought the building from Elsa Culbert, who continued to operate the drug store and soda fountain with her husband, Gerald, and became the owners of the business starting from the 1940s. The drugstore stopped operating in 1979, when Gerald died, and many of the remaining items there were left as they were.
Collection
The museum is a time-capsule filled with relics throughout the 1940s to 1970s, including pharmaceutical products and medical equipment. It also retains many interior and exterior qualities dated to certain eras, from steel-based structures common in use during the mining era boom, to 1930-style soda counters.
See also
*
List of museums in Nevada
This list of museums in Nevada encompasses museums which are defined for this context as physical institutions, (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artisti ...
References
External links
McGill Drug Store Museumat Great Basin Heritage Area Partnership
McGill Drugstore Museumat White Pine Chamber of Commerce
History museums in Nevada
Medical museums in the United States
Museums in White Pine County, Nevada
Pharmacies of the United States
Commercial buildings completed in 1909
Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Nevada
Buildings and structures in White Pine County, Nevada
History of White Pine County, Nevada
Great Basin National Heritage Area
1909 establishments in Nevada
National Register of Historic Places in White Pine County, Nevada
Health care companies based in Nevada
{{Nevada-museum-stub