The Welcome Kiosk shown above is a three-sided free-standing structure that bears a greeting for visitors as they enter the Museum whether from the parking lot on the north side of the building or through the south-east door. The message is the same on each face and consists of a floor plan of the Museum with an indication of the contents of each section in broad terms. In addition it provides suggestions on how to view the exhibits including the introductory film in the theatre and the panel numbering scheme. It also calls attention to the Macpherson Heraldry section and special exhibits in the Drumochter Room as well as the Exhibits Guide, a floor plan of the Museum that the visitor may obtain at Panel 1 and carry with them as as a guide for viewing the subsequent exhibit panels. For a closer view of this panel Click here
In the photograph above one can see Panel 1 at the right. That's a good place to start your visit. But before you do, look around and notice some of the Museum features other than exhibits.
First is the Theatre section shown in the photo below. Shelagh Macpherson-Noble and her committee have produced an excellent new video that introduces visitors to the Museum, the Clan and the Badenoch area.
Next notice the expanded Memorabilia or Shop Section that is adjacent to the Theatre as shown in the photo below.
The Museum office area has been rearranged to provide more efficient operation. Note that there is now a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system installed in the Museum that allows the Curator to keep watch on the remoter areas of the Museum when he is working at the desk.
Other important improvements have been made in the Helen MacPherson Thompson Library. Here we see Jean and Gordon Duffy at work cataloguing the extensive collection of books located in the Library.
Incidently, Jeremy, the 'watch cat' that once guarded the library, now looks after the theatre.
Those who have visited the Museum before 2005 will note that the display panels are now painted pastel shades instead of the previous brownish color. They will also note the consistent font style of the printed text that are found on the various panels. Most of all is the handsome appearance of the floor coverings which led to the overall improvement of the total Museum which will be evident as one inspects the subsequent panels of the Macpherson Electronic Museum.
And before you visit the other displays you might be interested to know that the Museum's exterior was featured in several episodes of the BBC production 'Monarch of the Glen'. The photo shows the Curator of the time, Olive Ormiston (2001-2005) standing before it in its TV garb as the Glenbogle Post Office and Tea Rooms.
It is interesting to note that contract with the first Curator, Norman L. Macphersoon (1952-1958) allowed him to operate a tea room on the premises. There is no evidence to suggest that this option was ever exercised.