Take a Step Back In Time: Visit the Niles Essana Silent Film Museum

If you reside in Fremont or are moving to the area and are researching fun things to do in town, we have quite the suggestion for you: The Niles Essana Silent Film Museum is revered by all museum and film history lovers because of what it represents. At the museum, you will find costumes, old fashioned cameras, old scripts that were used during the silent film era – it is very moving especially to people who love silent films. What’s more, you will also find the projectors used to project the films at that time and also the film editing tools of the era.

It is not an exaggeration to say that as a visitor to the museum, you will see the best collection of the instruments that were used to produce the earliest motion pictures. You will also learn how Essana filmed more than 350 films in a studio which stands only a few meters from the current location of the museum. The films stared silent movies icons like Anderson and Charlie Chaplin. It is also at the same studio that Essana produced 5 movies including the world acclaimed “The Tramp” movie.

Meet the Founder

As a visitor, you will also learn about the founder of the museum who is known as David Keihn. David is a former motion camera technician. After seven years of studying the Essana legacy, he not only published a book but also worked hard to establish the museum. Thanks to David, museum visitors can come in and watch films and also have a look around at the exhibits which are displayed every Sunday.

Activities You Can Engage In During the Visit

Additionally, the museum has continued to be a haven for silent film lovers as they show short comedy silent movies and also feature length films. The films are shown at a very low price as a means of promoting the museum and igniting interest in silent films especially in the younger generation.

During the short film screening, there is a local musician to entertain the movie watchers- as it was during the silent film era. The museum is not only an entertainment center but it is also an educational center. School groups can go to the museum on weekdays and the students will learn a lot.

There are also a ton of fun activities to engage in at the museum. The tour usually takes 2 – 3 hours. You may also decide to stop at the Ardenwood Historic Farm and also visit the Fremont museum. All you have to do is communicate early so that a perfect schedule can be prepared for your group’s tour.

The best days to plan for the tour is on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Friday. This is because on Monday and Tuesdays most other places of fun in the surrounding area are shut. While on tour at The Niles Essana Silent Film Museum, you will be able to watch 1 or 2 silent films which were made by Charlie Chaplin and Broncho Billy at the Niles. You will also tour the Edison Theater and see the Museum Exhibits. Additionally, you will also see the projection booth which the films were projected from- the booth is lined with tin!

Unlike other museums where you are not allowed to touch the relics, in NESFM, you can touch the old scripts that were used in the silent movie production.

Conclusion

The Niles Essana Silent Film Museum is the place to go if you want to learn all about the history of silent film making. At the museum, you will get to learn all about Charlie Chaplin and other icons of silent film. It also offers an educational tour where students get to appreciate the history of the motion picture industry.