Like crocuses, sunny skies and warmer weather, The Lawrence County Historical Museum opens for a new season today.

Historical Society President Pat Arrington said the season begins with an exhibit honoring the county's history of pride and patriotism. The military exhibit will feature photographs, uniforms and other memorabilia of local veterans from all branches of the service.

"This is just to honor our military, especially since we're at war now. The reason we have our freedom is the military," Arrington said. "Anyone who brings in a photograph gets free membership (in the museum) for a year."

The exhibit will run through Memorial Day weekend.

Also on display this year is an expansion of the local medical exhibit that opened last year. Museum member Gail Webb said the exhibit in the Dr. Dean Massie Room on the museum's second floor contains many medical instruments and equipment that were used by Lawrence County physicians over the years. Also included in the exhibit are photographs of the old Deaconess and Lawrence County General hospitals, as well as photographs of some of the county's family doctors.

Again this year, the historical society will have a Historical Woodland Cemetery Ghost Walk.

"We had so many people say to us 'I hope you have it again this year,'" Arrington said. "We just got our feet wet last year."

The ghost walk, intended to be an historical look at famous figures buried in the cemetery, is being moved to Aug. 28.

Last year, the first for the event, actors in costume played the parts of such notables as Osa Wilson, believed to have been murdered by her husband, and Russian ballerina Antoinette Peters, a friend of Russian royalty who married a local entrepreneur.