Paul Smith feels the importance of recording history.

As the president of the Draper Historical Society, Smith has been involved with preservation efforts all over the city. He is also heavily involved with the Draper Historical Museum, located in the Old Park School, 12441 S. 900 East.

"These are histories the Daughters of Utah Pioneers collected, and (they're in our library)," he said. "Some of those started back in the 1920s.... (The museum) was organized back in '82 when we moved into this building."

The museum and its adjoining library boast a wealth of historical information about the city from video recordings of 65 members of the city's older families to cemetery records to artifacts from early Draper. Binders hold records of the Draper Days celebration, education information and even church events.

While the library holds the information on paper, the museum tells about it through artifacts.

For example, in the early and mid-1900s, Draper used to be a major poultry production location. Three large egg farms, Draper, Utah and Ballard's, were all located in the area.

"The dry cleaner on the corner (down from the museum) used to be a service station called Poultry City Service," Smith said.

Smith estimates that at one time 80 percent to 90 percent of Draper residents had chickens. Pens could hold 250 chickens, and many people had two pens together. Pictures show poultry crews in 1941 and 1956. Chicken feeders show what it took to tend one's flock. A recent acquisition to the poultry display is an old chicken crate used to ship chickens. Smith doesn't have an estimate on what year the crate dates to but says it's older than another crate the museum already had.

Another room is set up to honor Draper war veterans. Army uniforms from both World War I and World War II are displayed proudly, as well as Navy World War II uniforms. Ration stamps needed to purchase groceries during the war are housed in a glass case. Pictures on the wall show residents who served in the war, including the Ballard family. Five Ballard children were in the service.

"It wasn't unusual to see one or two stars in someone's window (indicating children in the service), but five was unusual," Smith said.

Next to the room holding veteran artifacts is a corner dedicated to music. The display includes a Gayle grand piano, crafted before 1850 and a violin handmade by Millard B. Andrus, an early Draper resident.

Other displays show education, kitchen items, an early bedroom setup and various other items, including clothing, jewelry and photo albums.

Despite the museum's healthy collection, Smith says there's always room for more.

"We still need items. If people have things they'd like to donate, they can call us," he said.

The Draper Historical Museum, 12441 S. 900 East, Draper, is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. For more information or to donate items, call 495-3476.

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E-mail: twalquist@desnews.com