CEMETERY RECORDS / GHOSTTOWNS OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA / HISTORIC IDENTITIES / MORAWA DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY / PASTORAL TITLES / PUBLICATIONS
The original museum building was the old Morawa Police Station which was moved to the current museum site on the 2/12/1975. The station with its wood lined cells was in service from 1937 to 1967.
Morawa existed without a resident policeman for many years after settlement and gained a somewhat unsavoury reputation for strange goings on and general lawlessness. Two references from early female settlers show that they came to Morawa with some trepidation after hearing tales of the area. For the history of a colonial policeman whose Patrol District included the present Shire see Joseph Watson.
The aim of the museum is to collect and display a significant number of these machines on site. The secondary advantage of the collection is that we can create digital parts records of the machines where no literature is available. The collection also includes equipment ancillary to windmills. Acquired so far are various jack pumps, automatic shutoffs, remote systems and boring equipment.
A particular focus in the historical spectrum of the area has been placed on the period from the early 1850's to c1920, when the last of the transitional pastoral leases were made into freehold. As well as an interest in the land tenure of the period, we have endeavoured to collect information on the shepherds, freighters, indigenous and other individuals who made up the human tapestry of the district.
Our general area is a microcosm of the colonial experience and strangely enough reads like a cross between a 'B' grade western movie and a moral tale. The lease map shown below is for the 10,000 acre 'B' class lease 1428 which M. MORRISSEY applied for on the 6/6/1860, and was designated to run until the end of 1867. It became lease number 4668 applied for in the name of P. MORRISSEY on the 10/3/1868. This lease was intended to apply until 1875.
After Patrick Morrissey perished in the bush on the way south to Perth, it was next seen as lease 9202 applied for in the name of his estate on the 1/1/1873 and intended to apply until 1886.
Another change to lease 66/109 was later in the name of Patrick's son Michael Joseph MORRISSEY, who appears to have lost it to back payments due to one of the London based, Geraldton merchants whose name appears on several properties at the time, under similar circumstances.
Finally the lease disappears into the maws of the Midland Railway Company before it re-emerges as freehold.
Below is an example of an entry in the local hall records.
FIRST MORAWA TOWN HALL - 1924/25
The first town hall was built on the site of the current Post Office in 1923.
On three occasions it was extended, and for some time its stage was used as the town's State School.
From 1920 to 1928 it was used by WALKER TAYLOR's for their film shows.
It was used during WWII before the Army came to Morawa on permanent exercise, as an Army supplies storage with men posted on guard.
The R & I Bank was partitioned off in the old Town Hall.
After the building of the new hall, the old one was moved to the Show Grounds for use as a pavilion. To facilitate this it was cut into sections and re-erected. Unfortunately the same night, while incomplete, a very strong wind reduced it to a shambles.