The museum will show exhibits from the museum of the late Trevor Ross as well as many other items.
The museum would be important to Palmerston people and to all the visitors to the town, Mrs Dean said.
The Waitaki was a district "with a tremendous front row" Waitaki Mayor Alex Familton said at the opening of the Waihemo Heritage trust museum.
The "front row" which set the foundations for the district, included Sir John McKenzie, local MP for Waihemo and the Minister of Lands responsible for leading the breaking up of the big runs into smaller farms, Thomas Brydone, of North Otago, who exported the first frozen meat from New Zealand and Sir Arnold Nordmeyer who helped plan the Social Security system when he lived in Kurow in the 1930s.
The Waihemo Heritage Trust Museum, situated on Sanday St next to the Palmerston railway station, would initially be open on days when the Seasider train ran from Dunedin to Palmerston, Waihemo Heritage Trust president Chris Cox, of Palmerston, said.
The museum was likely to be open from 9am to 4pm on those days.
Other opening days would probably be arranged, as there were plenty of people prepared to volunteer to supervise the museum, he said.
The museum features photographs of the early history of the Palmerston area.
Some items have been given to the Museum by the family of the late Trevor Ross, who ran a private museum in Palmerston for many years. The first electric commercial cake mixer used at McGregors Bakery in Palmerston is on display, loaned by the other Palmerston-based museum, the East Otago Vintage Machinery club.
The Sanday St premises for the Waihemo Heritage Trust museum are temporary and it was hoped permanent premises could be secured, Mr Cox said.
Other speakers included retired Palmerston businessman "Mac" Service (95) whose business Warrens Garage, was once based on the museum site.
Historian Bill McCabe, who undertook a mechanical apprenticeship with Warrens Garage, also spoke.
