The facility received a highly commended award in the cultural heritage award category for towns with a population of 4,001 to 10,000 people.

The Young Railway Station was chosen as the winner ahead of the museum but members of the Glen Innes Historical Society were still proud of the result.

Secretary Peter Lisberg submitted the nomination and said the overall process had been a rewarding one.

“We were really pleased to be recognised. The theatre was packed and everybody really seemed to have a good time,” he said.

“Anything where we have to look at ourselves and assess what we do is always valuable and having (Tidy Towns assessor) Don Goodsir come through as the judge helped too.”

Mr Goodsir praised the project after seeing the value first hand.

“This cultural heritage project is more than a museum. It is truly a history house with valuable exhibits and records. Of all similar rural centres of this kind it would be hard to find better,” he said.

“It would be hard to surpass this outstanding project which is most professionally done and a great asset to Glen Innes and the wider community.”

There was further good news for the Glen Innes Historical Society at the Royal Australian History Society Conference in Armidale on the weekend.

A cultural grant of $800 was received from the NSW Ministry for the Arts that will be spent on the history house bulletin that includes researched articles of local history and local identities.