Do you know where the “Birthplace of Television” is? It’s near Rexburg in Rigby, Idaho. It is here that the Farnsworth TV & Pioneer Museum is found, housed in the old Bond Motel building.
Dedicated to the Idaho farm boy, Philo T. Farnsworth, who sketched his idea for moving-picture radio on a high school blackboard here in 1922. See an early Farnsworth television, along with his patents and family fiddle, one of many to fall silent across potato country because of Philo’s invention. There are also exhibits from the pioneer days of the Jefferson County area.
The Jefferson County Historical Museum features 14,000 square feet of exhibitions from the pre-electric and early electric era, the history of Jefferson County, and early photography. The first television tube, Indian artifacts,ancient Egyption artifacts from biblical days and animal trophies are on display. It also features local writers such as Vardis Fisher, who wrote Mountain Man, which was made into a movie with Robert Redford called “Jerimiah Johnson.”
Location:
118 W 1st S,
Rigby, ID 83442
208-745-8423
Directions:
To reach Farnsworth TV and Pioneer Museum go north on Stone brook Ln. toward Stone Run Ln. for 0.1 miles. Turn left onto W. Sunnyside Rd. for 1.1 miles. Turn right onto S. Yellowstone HWY/I-15 BL/US-26 for 1.7 miles. Turn left onto W. Broadway St./I-15 BL/US-20 BR for 0.8 miles. Merge onto I-15 N/US-20 E. 0.3 miles. Take the US-20 exit 119- toward Rigby/W. Yellowstone for 0.2 miles. Turn right onto US-20 E. for 12.7 miles. Take the US-20 business ramp toward ID-48/Rigby for 0.5 miles. Turn slight right onto US-20 BR. for 0.3 miles. Turn left onto 1ST ST S/ID-48. for 0.1 miles. End at 118 W 1st South.
4 Responses
M.Tr0up
The inventor of the FIRST television SYSTEM was not P.Farnswoth but James Logie Baird a Scottish Engineer.
Ashlyn
There is no way to email your museum. There is not an email adress in the contacts. You should fix that.
Craig Thom
The Scottish invention was mechanical and went nowhere. Farnsworth’s invention led to modern television.
Robert Kraude
I am the proud owner of a Model 1009 117 Volts AC 60 Cycles 105 Watts Capehart-Farnsworth Corporation Fort Wayne 1, Indiana. My unit looks the same as the one on your website. My father brought our unit home in 1950 I believe. He owned a furniture store in Los Angeles CA. This AM/FM/TV/Photograph still works. All the vacuum tubes and lights on the unit work. When I turn the unit on, I can hear both AM and FM stations. I do not know how to work the TV reception knob. I think the rubber part that operates the photograph player may have come off. Not sure. Don’t want to mess with something I not sure about. I would like to donate this unit to a museum. No cost. I just need someone to pick it up. I live in Sacramento CA. I am hoping to find a place where people can not only see the past history of entertainment, but to hear it as well. I would love to send you pictures, just let me know how to do it.