The Hicksville Gregory Museum evolved from the collections of local school administrator, Dr. Gardiner E. Gregory. Fascinated by butterflies and moths, he had amassed thousands of specimens. When a changing science curriculum emphasized the study of rocks and minerals, he developed another passion. Granted a temporary charter for the museum in 1963, he and his wife Anne opened their Cottage Boulevard home to schoolchildren from Hicksville and surrounding communities. The Gregory moved to its permanent home, the Heitz Place Courthouse, in 1973 after three years of extensive renovation of the building by hundreds of volunteers.